The Hub on Causeway (née TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Yes its temporary construction staging.
hub_on_causeway_oct.jpg

via bldup

Finished product

Via gensler
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
Somebody explain to me what the misguided attempted logic was behind the clashing materials choices here, because I'm totally lost.:rolleyes:
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In my estimation, architecture is going through an ugly phase. Ugly is in, currently. It's like a periodic purging and self-flagellation that happens every so often, the last time being the bizarre, overly ornate 1980's. This building, and Fenway Center, are prime examples. It's too bad, because there are a lot of really great ones being built now (like the Sudbury), but the ugly, bizarre look keeps popping up in some key developments. Hopefully this phase will run it's course soon in the next few years.
 
Charlie_mta said:
In my estimation, architecture is going through an ugly phase. Ugly is in, currently. It's like a periodic purging and self-flagellation that happens every so often, the last time being the bizarre, overly ornate 1980's. This building, and Fenway Center, are prime examples. It's too bad, because there are a lot of really great ones being built now (like the Sudbury), but the ugly, bizarre look keeps popping up in some key developments. Hopefully this phase will run it's course soon in the next few years.
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I can assure you that most architects would not consider this project good architecture.
 
Ugly buildings have been built forever. Look at every period and theres plenty of them there. Besides that though “ugly” is personal preferance, the only real measurable shift you can quantify is architectural style/language and materials. Ugly isnt quantifiable. The only real “shift” I see happening is a move away from all glass facades slowly starting to take shape. Another quantifiable shift you can see in nyc for example is the extreme aspect ratios of the super skinnys. These are real shifts taking place, ugly is different depending on who you ask.
 
stick n move said:
The only real “shift” I see happening is a move away from all glass facades slowly starting to take shape.
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In trying to do that, the visual deck is shuffled somewhat haphazardly, just out of attempts to make buildings more interesting and break up the box.. We're in kind of a "storming" phase in that regard, and the "norming" will eventually take hold wherein some more palatable common themes take hold. It's like the post-modernism of the 1980's. Attempts were made then to break out of the mid-century modern look, and now attempts are being made to break out of the glass box. I just wish in doing so a bit more style and beauty could be exercised, especially in the case of this Verizon Tower and Fenway Center. The rest of the Hub on Causeway isn't bad, but the Verizon building...ouch!
 
I'm all about this project, from the street level activation with it's grand entrance to the Garden, on up to the industrial-look siding and windows on the podium, to those bump-outs on the Verizon (yes, even the Verizon sign), just about everything. And I can't be alone here, this project was just voted the BEST COMPLETED DEVELOPMENT OF 2019 (Phase 1)! The only major disappointment for me is the height, the apartment building should have gone up to the maximum allowed.
 
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You don't really notice the variation of the mix architecture styles at the street view but it does become apparent the further you are away. Personally, I don't care for the bumps-outs on the Verizon building. I call them architecture warts. But, by and large, I like what they have done here. It's far better than some of those cookie-cutter glass box towers ever so predominate in the seaport.
 
atlantaden said:
And I can't be alone here, this project was just voted the BEST COMPLETED DEVELOPMENT OF 2019 (Phase 1)!
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The key phrase here is "Phase 1." That consists exclusively of the podiums, and not the towers on top of them. I think we can all agree that the podiums are solid wins, particularly with a proper streetwall and the accompanying street level activation. It doesn't hurt that they have classic, throwback designs. It seems that a lot more thought was put into the podiums than the towers on top.

The towers are OK but nothing more. Since everything is around the same height, from many angles the whole area (including Avalon and the still-growing Alcott) looks like 1 big blob building. Having everything be the same height, without being forced to by things like the FAA, makes absolutely zero sense. It's a completely undeserving area to visually serve as the Northern entrance to the city. I have some pics on the way this week that highlight that blob effect even more starkly than most angles. The towers themselves never would have won "best completed development" and in this case, were intentionally left off the winning entry.
 
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DZH22 said:
The key phrase here is "Phase 1." That consists exclusively of the podiums, and not the towers on top of them. I think we can all agree that the podiums are solid wins, particularly with a proper streetwall and the accompanying street level activation. It doesn't hurt that they have classic, throwback designs. It seems that a lot more thought was put into the podiums than the towers on top.

The towers are OK but nothing more. Since everything is around the same height, from many angles the whole area (including Avalon and the still-growing Alcott) looks like 1 big blog building. Having everything be the same height, without being forced to by things like the FAA, makes absolutely zero sense. It's a completely undeserving area to visually serve as the Northern entrance to the city. I have some pics on the way this week that highlight that blob effect even more starkly than most angles. The towers themselves never would have won "best completed development" and in this case, were intentionally left off the winning entry.
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+1. DZ, you hit the nail on the head. To me, they got the most important aspect of this project right. The podium is GREAT urban placemaking at the human level. It is making North Station/Causeway street a more constant beehive area. So I'm more than satisfied with it. The towers are meh. Would I like them to be cooler for Sim City? Sure.
 
citydweller said:
post #4918 gets picture of the month award.
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Thanks so much! I've been a member for YEARS, but I've never posted many photos because it was so hard! (At least in my opinion.) I uploaded that picture right from the iPhone and now sitting at my desktop, I realize it should have been smaller. Anyway, you have to learn by getting some things wrong!

Most of my dog walking is South Shore, but I've been missing Boston so much that I had to take him to the city over the weekend. :)
 
Java King said:
Thanks so much! I've been a member for YEARS, but I've never posted many photos because it was so hard! (At least in my opinion.) I uploaded that picture right from the iPhone and now sitting at my desktop, I realize it should have been smaller. Anyway, you have to learn by getting some things wrong!

Most of my dog walking is South Shore, but I've been missing Boston so much that I had to take him to the city over the weekend. :)
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That pic is absolutely jaw-dropping, Java.
 
Frankly, this came out much better than I thought it would from the renders.
 
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