Wentworth Institute of Technology Expansion | Fenway

Really? It could turn out decent, but it has the potential to wind up being fairly bland, which would be truly unforunate given that this is what you'll now be faced with when sitting on the steps of the MFA. We'll see. At any rate, I can empathize with height fetish as well but Huntington and in particular this stretch of Huntington is the closest we've got to a real avenue, with great, monumental architecture (MFA, CSC), Forsythe Way and the connections to the Fenway/Necklace. Im not champing at the bit for a tower right here. I do look forward to the day the last two triangle parcels get built up, as well as some of crap Northeastern buildings further inbound.

Edit - Given that this is out teeny little so-called Avenue of the Arts, it would be great if Wentworth built something ridiculously awesome or visionary. Like a crazy cool complement to the Treehouse. Now that I would be totally down with.
 
FK4 said:
Really? It could turn out decent, but it has the potential to wind up being fairly bland, which would be truly unforunate given that this is what you'll now be faced with when sitting on the steps of the MFA. We'll see. At any rate, I can empathize with height fetish as well but Huntington and in particular this stretch of Huntington is the closest we've got to a real avenue, with great, monumental architecture (MFA, CSC), Forsythe Way and the connections to the Fenway/Necklace. Im not champing at the bit for a tower right here. I do look forward to the day the last two triangle parcels get built up, as well as some of crap Northeastern buildings further inbound.

Edit - Given that this is out teeny little so-called Avenue of the Arts, it would be great if Wentworth built something ridiculously awesome or visionary. Like a crazy cool complement to the Treehouse. Now that I would be totally down with.
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If they could do that that would be amazing; the treehouse is one of my favorite buildings in the city.
 
It will never happen but in appreciation of the fact this is the Avenue of the Arts, plus the CSC and Treehouse, it would be awesome if there was some stated goal between the city, NU, WIT and other institutions here to promote this as a corridor for very daring architecture.
 
I know that between Ruggles station and Parker St the MBTA has an easement along the southern edge of Northeastern's Student Village (which is why there is a buffer of trees along Ruggles St) but does anyone know if this extends through the WIT property to Huntington Ave? There isn't anything in the proposal specifically saying so but it does look like space was left along the southern edge of the site that could allow for an expansion of Ruggles St (the easement, I assume, was put there for a future bus lane).
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
I know that between Ruggles station and Parker St the MBTA has an easement along the southern edge of Northeastern's Student Village (which is why there is a buffer of trees along Ruggles St) but does anyone know if this extends through the WIT property to Huntington Ave? There isn't anything in the proposal specifically saying so but it does look like space was left along the southern edge of the site that could allow for an expansion of Ruggles St (the easement, I assume, was put there for a future bus lane).
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I've thought the same before and envisioned this as the southern part of Urban Ring using BRT to connected the greenline on Huntington with Ruggles, Dudley, Newmarket and JFK. Theres room for dedicated bus lanes on most of the route.
 
Visited a friend at Northeastern yesterday who's got a view from West Village right onto the Sweeney Field. Apparently they've been drilling holes around the field in the past few months, I assume this means soil samples. Is there a typical timeline between soil samples and construction beginning?
 
They're not going to get rid of Sweeney Field until they've completed the new garage and replacement field decked over that on the current Wentworth parking lot. No idea when that is, though, or whether that's happened yet.
 
So no news on the Innovation Center, but out of the blue, Leers Weinzapfel Associates, LWA (of MIT Media Center (AOR for Maki) & MGH Museum fame) will be designing a new academic & lab building on the current tennis courts next to Watson Hall on Parker St.

No details are known at this time (alumni didn't even know they wanted to build a building here). Definitely don't assume a tower though. I'd say maybe 5 stories tops.

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datadyne007 said:
So no news on the Innovation Center, but out of the blue, it was just announced that Leers Weinzapfel Associates, LWA (of MIT Media Center (AOR for Maki) & MGH Museum fame) will be designing a new academic & lab building on the current tennis courts next to Watson Hall on Parker St.

No details are known at this time (alumni didn't even know they wanted to build a building here). Definitely don't assume a tower though. I'd say maybe 5 stories tops.

orvxEdg.png
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Early versions of WIT's IMP toyed with the idea of building on the tennis courts - I believe initially it was supposed to be a Student Union building that connected to Watson. One of the proposals in the IMP has a rendering, just can't recall which version. However, with the renovation and expansion to Beatty the idea was scrapped.

http://www.wit.edu/imp/
 
akmags said:
Early versions of WIT's IMP toyed with the idea of building on the tennis courts - I believe initially it was supposed to be a Student Union building that connected to Watson. One of the proposals in the IMP has a rendering, just can't recall which version. However, with the renovation and expansion to Beatty the idea was scrapped.

http://www.wit.edu/imp/
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So I guess this is a relocated Item D - Multipurpose Academic Building (formerly Center for Engineering & Technology)

http://www.wit.edu/imp/docs/2016.06.15-WIT-Update.pdf

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The MpA Building is officially in SD. LWA (the architects) presented to the students yesterday:

Wentworth Student Government liveblogged it:
https://twitter.com/wsgwit

MASSING MODEL VIDEO: https://twitter.com/wsgwit/status/803389645732147200

Screengrabs I took from the video:
umHumF3.png
QgwkAKV.png


Model from a tweet:
CyYiokaXAAARmuq.jpg:large


PLANS/SECTION: https://twitter.com/wsgwit/status/803390990212038656

CyY32B9XAAAOWJj.jpg:large

CyY32CBWgAURRlB.jpg:large
CyY32CDW8AEl8-C.jpg:large


SELECTED TWEETS:
The architect is looking for a cost effective solution for thermal load and to keep building from looking like a fortress. #MpABuilding

Maker space and plenty of labs. Biological labs. Civil offices and civil labs. All in the new #MpA building"

The #MpA building will take advantage of sunlight and probably have fins to keep it from getting too hot.

The new building will have 16 lab spaces and Accelerate.

Building of #MpABuilding will include teaching opportunities for students

How far does the #MpABuilding building go into the quad? It won't go on the grass, but will go over the gravel area.

The floors in Watson and #MpABuilding don't match (8 foot difference). Can't make it connect in a reasonable way.
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Thanks for the post--great that the Student Government tweeted.

It's a big building compared to what else is on campus, which isn't necessarily bad. But it is going to take finessing to get to work. I'm intrigued by that cape or drape in the model. I hope it isn't another solar screen that we have seen a few of proposed around town (GE) but it wouldn't surprise me.



datadyne007 said:
The MpA Building is officially in SD. LWA (the architects) presented to the students yesterday:

Wentworth Student Government liveblogged it:
https://twitter.com/wsgwit

MASSING MODEL VIDEO: https://twitter.com/wsgwit/status/803389645732147200

Screengrabs I took from the video:
umHumF3.png
QgwkAKV.png


Model from a tweet:
CyYiokaXAAARmuq.jpg:large


PLANS/SECTION: https://twitter.com/wsgwit/status/803390990212038656

CyY32B9XAAAOWJj.jpg:large

CyY32CBWgAURRlB.jpg:large
CyY32CDW8AEl8-C.jpg:large


SELECTED TWEETS:
Click to expand...
 
Herald article & render (note: this is just rough SD right now):

122116wentworth001.jpg


Mission Hill expansion for Wentworth in the works
Donna Goodison | Thursday, December 22, 2016

Wentworth Institute of Technology has filed plans to expand its Mission Hill campus in Boston with a four-story academic building on Parker Street.

The building would include 69,000 square feet of laboratory and office space, and ground-floor presentation and gathering areas for students, faculty and staff. It would replace three outdoor tennis courts between Wentworth’s Watson Hall and Nelson Recreation Center/Tansey Gymnasium.

The project is designed to meet the “next evolution” of study for several engineering disciplines by providing more modern academic space, Vice President for Business David Wahlstrom said in a letter to the Boston Planning & Development Agency.

It would house Wentworth’s new biological engineering program, its biomedical and civil engineering and EPIC experiential learning programs, the Accelerate, Wentworth Innovation + Entrepreneurship Center, and science and manufacturing labs.

“Wentworth’s curriculum is transitioning from a focus on engineering technology to engineering innovation in such areas as biological engineering,” Wahlstrom said.

“This transition requires new and different teaching and learning spaces with configurations that promote collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches to solving the technical challenges of our day,” he said.

Wentworth, which has a student enrollment of 4,324, plans to add six faculty and two lab tech positions to support the new building, which does not include off-street parking.

The proposed project replaces Wentworth’s plans for a 45,000-square-foot Center for Engineering and Technology at the site of its existing Willson Hall and a portion of the west parking lot. It requires Wentworth to file an amendment to its institutional master plan with the BPDA.

http://www.bostonherald.com/busines...ion_hill_expansion_for_wentworth_in_the_works
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some demo work has begun along with test pits, also note the new copper on the roof in the top right (Full Size)

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CBCArch61 said:
Not wasting anytime at all. Really happy to see the alma mater moving forwards to improve the campus.
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Yeah, I agree. Went there a few years ago and was already amazed at the changes (especially the student center/cafeteria building).
 
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