South Station Tower | South Station Air Rights | Downtown

[cjbski]

Re: South Station Tower

Please, something with a spire. Or crown. Or even a "cheap tiara." Just something that is lit up at night. All these great new buildings in the works, but most have boring, flat roofs that aren't lit at night. Like the Hancock, they disappear in the darkness for the most part. Light it up!!

AGREED AGREED AGREED! Please, give it some kind of character at the top.

I'd prefer a lit-up spire.

 

[odurandina]

Re: South Station Tower

Light the top and we're home. That tower is fine.

but not like Atlantic Wharf. AW is too bright.

 

[bobthebuilder]

Re: South Station Tower

Dunno. If they'd gone to "mate" the tower to the base, I feel like that would ruin the scale of the station. I think we had this discussion back in 2006, btw.

Boston02124 - is that the 3D model the BRA had commissioned before the Olympics, or something from Hines?

The tower shouldn't really "mate" with the base, I agree that wouldn't look right. It should only interact with south station in the form of a greatly expanded bus terminal with direct connection to the train platforms.


Just looked at the architect's site for the bus terminal expansion and looks like they may have some updated renders:

More available here

 

[whighlander]

Re: South Station Tower

^off thread but tonight's Jeopardy had an I M Pei category. On one of the questions a pic of "Boston's iconic blue glass Back Bay tower" was shown, question was: Which famous Boston area resident was this I M Pei designed landmark originally named for? Answer: Hancock (he got it correct)
(I'm not quoting exactly-only what I remember!)

Lapredom -- let's stop giving Pei credit for the work of Henry Cobb [who also did the Moakley Courthouse]

Pei is the architect of the JFK Library and the Green Building at MIT and of course master planner for City Hall Plaza and Christian Science Church complex

 

[whighlander]

Re: South Station Tower

Don't think any particular project ever was under construction. It was more that when the station was last renovated, the necessary subsurface footings for any subsequent project were put in place. This was because the T or whomever has custody of the property knew the value of air rights over the tracks, but wanted to minimize disruption if and when those rights were ever developed.

I've been reading about air rights developments at this site for 50 years, ranging from a Three Rivers donut style stadium to these latest fantasies. I'll believe it when I see that last rivet hammered into the zeppelin mast.

Tobyjug -- I think the foundation work was done as part of the prep for the Big Dig
That slice of "terra not so firma" is a multi-layer cake of many different transport and other infrastructure

The idea was to minimize disruption to the soil and hence the tracks and thence the trains -- remember that the soil had to be frozen to make it able to support the top while the BIG DIG excavated the giant void for the tunnel box under all of the tracks with hundreds of trains per day passing right through the construction zone

 

[whighlander]

Re: South Station Tower

The tower shouldn't really "mate" with the base, I agree that wouldn't look right. It should only interact with south station in the form of a greatly expanded bus terminal with direct connection to the train platforms.


Just looked at the architect's site for the bus terminal expansion and looks like they may have some updated renders:

Bob -- not to pick nits too much --BUT -- those look like trains not buses

I think the tower is between the South Station Headhouse and the Bus Terminal

 

[Equilibria]

Re: South Station Tower

More available here

Quite the find. According to the description, the tower has dropped 9 floors.

"As part of a 40-story air-rights office tower to be erected above South Station, the existing bus terminal facility will be expanded to accommodate 16 new bus berths, new retail spaces, and direct, accessible vertical circulation links to the South Station train concourse. The challenges involve maintaining smooth operations for the active bus terminal and rail yard below while the tower and bus terminal expansion are under construction."

Doesn't sound like they're doing multiple buildings at this point.

 

[SouthEnder88]

Re: South Station Tower

Doesn't sound like they're doing multiple buildings at this point.

One of the slides through the link shows a mid-rise office, hotel, and residential building to complement the SST

 

[Equilibria]

Re: South Station Tower

One of the slides through the link shows a mid-rise office, hotel, and residential building to complement the SST

Yes, but that's much older. We've seen that one for a long time. The towers are also very different between the two diagrams.

BTW, I counted the floors on that tower drawing and got 44, with 5 below. Maybe 40 was a round number.

 

[Suffolk 83]

Re: South Station Tower

I don't completely understand the obsession over lit tops, seems a little gimmicky to me.

Agree that Atlantic Wharf is too bright though

 

[whighlander]

Re: South Station Tower

One of the slides through the link shows a mid-rise office, hotel, and residential building to complement the SST

SouthEnder -- and the same set of images includes this

So -- the take away -- I don't think there is much reliable substance to the proposal as it stands in its new reincarnation -- this one is for the next cycle

 

[datadyne007]

Re: South Station Tower

Bob -- not to pick nits too much --BUT -- those look like trains not buses

I think the tower is between the South Station Headhouse and the Bus Terminal

Well, the project he linked to is indeed the bus terminal expansion by BI-Arch.

 

[whighlander]

Re: South Station Tower

Well, the project he linked to is indeed the bus terminal expansion by BI-Arch.

Data -- yes and the rest of the stuff on that site is from the folder marked "old south station tower stuff"

 

[dotdude78]

Re: South Station Tower

I don't completely understand the obsession over lit tops, seems a little gimmicky to me.

Agree that Atlantic Wharf is too bright though

I don't want over lit (AW is too much). I just want nicely lit. Not tacky, blinding light.

It's not an obsession, I just think it's something that's lacking in Boston. Some of the most prominent towers (Hancock, Millennium, proposals like 1 Bromfield) aren't lit up AT ALL. I think we could use a few with nicely lit crowns or spires.

 

[type001]

Re: South Station Tower

Quite the find. According to the description, the tower has dropped 9 floors.

That is the old description. It was later increased to 49 floors.

 

[bobthebuilder]

Re: South Station Tower

Bob -- not to pick nits too much --BUT -- those look like trains not buses

I think the tower is between the South Station Headhouse and the Bus Terminal

I did notice that whigh, but thanks for pointing it out. Your services are greatly appreciated.

The tower is indeed between the bus terminal and the train station, but they can still allow for a direct connection. The first two images were more to my point that there needs to be a direct connection. Here's a somewhat old cross section that clearly shows the tower between the bus terminal & train station as well as a connection between the bus & train stations.

Here's an older more pie-in-the-sky rendering of what it could look like.

The third image in my post is of the expanded bus terminal, and here's another one..

I could be wrong, they could be old. But I don't remember seeing them when I linked to the architect's site almost 2 years ago, and I don't remember seeing them anywhere else.

 

[whighlander]

Re: South Station Tower

I did notice that whigh, but thanks for pointing it out. Your services are greatly appreciated.

The tower is indeed between the bus terminal and the train station, but they can still allow for a direct connection. The first two images were more to my point that there needs to be a direct connection. Here's a somewhat old cross section that clearly shows the tower between the bus terminal & train station as well as a connection between the bus & train stations.

Bob -- I think there needs to be someone from the BRA to talk to Mass DOT [GE deal-style] and say to the developer -- hold on until we figure out what is happening to the USPS

This is much much more important than the Hub @ North Station as what is done at South Station will be even more than Pru in scope -- it can be another Copley Place / Pru city under glass, etc.

I'd like GE's architect / campus planner [whoever that is] to get involved with the conversation

South Station including the USPS land, re-done Dorchester Ave, the redone Fort Point Channel edge and possible new pedestrian bridge at the Gillette edge of the GE Campus should all be part of the plans

 

[mdd]

Re: South Station Tower

I don't want over lit (AW is too much). I just want nicely lit. Not tacky, blinding light.

It's not an obsession, I just think it's something that's lacking in Boston. Some of the most prominent towers (Hancock, Millennium, proposals like 1 Bromfield) aren't lit up AT ALL. I think we could use a few with nicely lit crowns or spires.

It's also a gigantic waste of money.

 

[lapradetom]

Re: South Station Tower

Question (If anyone knows): Is constructing a large development/tower like this over existing "infrastructure" a lot more complicated/expensive than with a traditional building situation? If so, how could the economics of a much more expensive project even make it viable? The developer can't just pass the cost on to the tenants. Train vibration/noise/fume mitigation, a 677' tower straddling train tracks, connecting to existing/new buildings, etc. It would seem this would cost mega-buck$.

 

[JumboBuc]

Re: South Station Tower

^ As construction costs on a parcel go up the price of the underlying land goes down