Volpe Transportation Center Development | Kendall Sq | Cambridge

That one window opening near the top... is that an executive office or something?
 
jklo said:
That one window opening near the top... is that an executive office or something?
Click to expand...
Maybe a large conference room? If it were a company I’d say the “boardroom”, not sure sure what to call the equivalent in a govt building.
 
If looming institutional presence is what they were going for, I think they nailed it (from 10/3):

vtsc-ev-1.jpg
 
So does that mean this is the final layout they chose for the site? I remember they had been playing around with putting the park in different locations like in the center of the buildings or on one side and dont remember them picking a final layout. Did they finally choose or is that just a placeholder until they do?
 
bigpicture7 said:
Some movement on the main development now...
Per a filing with the city, slightly revised phasing is proposed:

www.cambridgema.gov

PB368

special permit application
www.cambridgema.gov www.cambridgema.gov

From therein:
https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media...sp368/amendment1/sp368_amend1app_20221209.pdf
View attachment 31958

I would guess once this phasing is approved (it goes to board on 1/17), we'll start seeing design proposals for individual buildings
Click to expand...
Not only does Cambridge require a surplus of too small, underprovisioned "parks" next to busy roads, they want them built first. Who do they actually think is going ot use "Community Park" and "Sixth st Park South" next to massive construction sites?
 
They are also phasing the residential after the commercial. That is probably to avoid the new residents pulling a Cantabridgian No on the rest of the development.
 
stick n move said:
So does that mean this is the final layout they chose for the site? I remember they had been playing around with putting the park in different locations like in the center of the buildings or on one side and dont remember them picking a final layout. Did they finally choose or is that just a placeholder until they do?
Click to expand...

The layout was finalized Fall of '21, I believe. The special permits paged linked above has the details (scroll down to city decision document, for instance); fair warning, this stuff is really lengthy.
 
curcuas said:
Not only does Cambridge require a surplus of too small, underprovisioned "parks" next to busy roads, they want them built first. Who do they actually think is going ot use "Community Park" and "Sixth st Park South" next to massive construction sites?
Click to expand...

I think those parks are just part of the parcels being developed (particularly true of the 6th Street one, which is basically an expanded buffer for the path). If the Third Street Park opens with C1 and R1/CC, it won't border a construction site.

The way I read this phasing is that Phase 1 doesn't include the current Volpe's footprint (split between C2 and R2), which allows simultaneous construction and demolition and makes the whole effort more efficient.
 
Equilibria said:
I think those parks are just part of the parcels being developed (particularly true of the 6th Street one, which is basically an expanded buffer for the path). If the Third Street Park opens with C1 and R1/CC, it won't border a construction site.

The way I read this phasing is that Phase 1 doesn't include the current Volpe's footprint (split between C2 and R2), which allows simultaneous construction and demolition and makes the whole effort more efficient.
Click to expand...

Generally I think you're right, but it doesn't seem to be quite that simple. Recall that they are punching the original 5th street back through this parcel (work that appears set for completion within this "Phase 1"), and which will form the border behind C1 and community park. The pathline of 5th street is not the same pathline as the current Volpe driveway on that side. As 5th street projects, they will at least need to demo the low-rise portions of the original Volpe complex in order to build that street:

vp_pln-1-1.png

https://goo.gl/maps/fAXruKUzXBqYRf5b8

It could be that they'll demo the low-rise portions first and build the street before they finish demo'ing the tower portion.
 
Equilibria said:
I think those parks are just part of the parcels being developed (particularly true of the 6th Street one, which is basically an expanded buffer for the path). If the Third Street Park opens with C1 and R1/CC, it won't border a construction site.

The way I read this phasing is that Phase 1 doesn't include the current Volpe's footprint (split between C2 and R2), which allows simultaneous construction and demolition and makes the whole effort more efficient.
Click to expand...
This is fair, but one might wonder if that space could instead be used for staging or other purposes instead of "parks" while the whole complex is built out.
 
bigpicture7 said:
Generally I think you're right, but it doesn't seem to be quite that simple. Recall that they are punching the original 5th street back through this parcel (work that appears set for completion within this "Phase 1"), and which will form the border behind C1 and community park. The pathline of 5th street is not the same pathline as the current Volpe driveway on that side. As 5th street projects, they will at least need to demo the low-rise portions of the original Volpe complex in order to build that street:

View attachment 31975
https://goo.gl/maps/fAXruKUzXBqYRf5b8

It could be that they'll demo the low-rise portions first and build the street before they finish demo'ing the tower portion.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree. Level of effort is very different for low-rise vs. high-rise. They're functionally separate buildings.
 
stick n move said:
So does that mean this is the final layout they chose for the site? I remember they had been playing around with putting the park in different locations like in the center of the buildings or on one side and dont remember them picking a final layout. Did they finally choose or is that just a placeholder until they do?
Click to expand...

...also, as addendum to my earlier reply, that park scheme that extends diagonally inward from the corner of 3rd & broadway, which I believe is the finalized layout, is illustrated in this render posted in an Oct'21 article:

https://news.mit.edu/2021/volpe-project-prepares-design-1007
From therein:
MIT-Volpe-01-press_0.jpg


^So this gives a sense of what this corner will look like when Phase 1 is completed

Also, before everyone complains about how awful that intersection is at Main/Broad/3rd, note that the city is presently working on redesigning it:

Broadway Main & Third Streetscape Report — Cambridge Redevelopment Authority

www.cambridgeredevelopment.org www.cambridgeredevelopment.org
Here is an Oct 7, 2022 presentation with an update on that design work
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top