South Station Tower | South Station Air Rights | Downtown

Equilibria said:
There are cities doing deck parks over freeways and cities (mostly outside the US) doing deck buildings over train tracks. There are very few examples of cities successfully building large private air rights buildings over operating freeways, as Boston repeatedly tries to do. I think that if Parcel 12, Viola, and Fenway Center succeed, they will be basically unprecedented.
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Also buildings in the Seaport/Fort Point that span highway -- 15 Necco will have to contend with the 1-90 tunnel, I believe. (Or is it the Gillette lot next door?)
 
JeffDowntown said:
Also buildings in the Seaport/Fort Point that span highway -- 15 Necco will have to contend with the 1-90 tunnel, I believe. (Or is it the Gillette lot next door?)
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Not to completely divert the thread, but IMO the issues are a little different. Buildings over the tunnel may have similar structural requirements to air rights buildings, but they don't have the operational impacts during construction.
 
I have a very good friend who is working with the architecture firm that designed the Union Station Tower in Chicago. It looks like it's more adjacent rather than directly over the tracks, but it's still very similar in concept to the South Station Tower.
http://unionstationtower.com/
 
stoweker said:
150 N Riverside in Chicago is built directly over a live train ROW
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Is it, though? When I look at that and the ROW placement, the impression I get is that the building's base is on terra firma, whereas the plaza is above where I think the tracks run. Note the narrowness of the base, which then cantilevers outward to support the larger building footprint several floors up. I think this design is specifically intended to avoid the ROW.
 
So just to bring this full circle, it sounds like the construction over the South Station train tracks is a relatively common occurrence except for perhaps the height of the building although NYC certainly has its share of those. However the delays make more sense about building over the turnpike as private development over an interstate is almost unprecedented on the scale that Boston is trying to achieve. I do like the idea of one overriding authority tasked with coordinating all of the issues with the various stakeholders.
 
From an email I just received:

Track 13 Changes

Beginning March 2, through the completion of South Station Transportation Center Improvement Project, all trains boarding on Track 13 will be accessible only on the west side of the platform, closest to Track 12. The east side of the platform, closest to the Post Office, will be closed as part of the construction zone.

Upcoming Construction Activity

This week, a fenced-in work zone will be put in place between 245 Summer Street and South Station. Within the work zone, patio pavers and benches will be removed, stored, and reinstalled once the project has been completed. Access through the plaza will be maintained.

The existing MBTA bus shelter at the Summer Street at South Station stop will be removed to allow for a new South Station pedestrian ramp to be constructed. The bus stop will remain active. The construction of the ramp is scheduled to take approximately two weeks to complete.
 
This is one of the most transparent construction projects in a while, no? I understand they have to be rather transparent such that people in and around S. Station can make accommodations if necessary, but I'm impressed.
 
stefal said:
This is one of the most transparent construction projects in a while, no? I understand they have to be rather transparent such that people in and around S. Station can make accommodations if necessary, but I'm impressed.
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Given Boston and Massachusetts conservatism for large scale development and infrastructure projects since the Big Dig I think everyone involved is trying their hardest to not cock it up badly enough that there is some kind of serious public backlash against future development that could have a transit impact.
 
Saw the paver removal getting started.
F1E23B57-1184-4548-972D-91270ED78EE8.jpeg
 
HelloBostonHi said:
Little sad to see this nice stretch of mature street trees taken down but hopefully worth it in the long run... I presume we get our plantings back whenever this project finishes up?
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Likely nothing of substance will be put in its place. This whole stretch will eventually have lobbies and conveyances for the garage, office tower, residential and office in phases 2 and 3, and whatever else needs to fit at street level. No space for plantings, maybe some trees along the street.
 
ssresident said:
Trees were removed from AtlanticView attachment 3776
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ssresident -- 2 weeks ago while I took my "walkaround" -- the trees along the sidewalk were already gone -- it looks as if there must have been a separate small contract to take down the trees within the project footprint

So -- I think that we are really seeing the Project move off the Starting Line!!! ✔
 
Came across some new and some older but finally zoomed out renders:


Finally the whole skyline shot! (Almost).
2019_03_22_02_13_43_south_station_exterior_5.jpg

Link
-This angle shows that theres hope as far as the buzzcut effect. The angle places SST behind the court house and if *when* the south bay towers project happens, albeit much shorter, it would place the towers even more left of SST and behind the Seaport sq buildings. Theyre not going to be huge, but theyll be taller than the seaport buildings and it will nicely step up and back from Seaport sq, as well as the left side of the skyline stepping down from SST. I think it will really make a huge difference on the skyline.


From Hines:
south-station_rendering_exterior_tower-crown_final_hresgif

Plus another older render that theyve zoomed out a bit more...
south-station_rendering_exterior_office_entrance_final_hresgif

Link

Its kind of annoying how devs show extremely zoomed in renders then slowly release them less and less zoomed in, but I guess I get it when you only have so many and need to release new things constantly in the social media age..
 
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