Fenway Park

Fenway Park, home to the World Champions of 2007 the Boston Red Sox, is located in the dense fabric of Boston. Fenway Park is just as much a part of the history of Boston as any other building or park. At first glance, it doesn't seem that there would be a stadium within the brick walls. An outer structure of brick houses all of the spaces from offices to locker rooms. This blends the stadium in with the surrounding site. It is the only stadium in the country that fits within the city grid and fabric. Seen in plan, the streets form the shape of the stadium and in one place actually cuts through where the field would be. At this spot, the “Green Monster” was placed; a high wall that makes up for what would be more depth to the field. Seats were recently added to the top of the “Green Monster” which hang over the street that cuts through. Making your way around the site, the stadium is somewhat revealed. The high spotlights, scoreboard, and the green steel structure that is revealed begins to bring to attention that there may be something more to the building than what it seems.

Tent City

Tent City sits in an area where to one side is the dense fabric of residential units and the other side is an area of historic importance to the city of Boston. One would wonder how to meet such diverse sites. The apartments at Tent City is a good example of how to accomplish this through architectural design. Standing at the main entrance is a large curved building, in which to either side the building decreases in height as it steps down the further it goes. Behind this main building is a courtyard space in which the people who live in the apartments are able to use at their leisure. Towards the ends of the building, the height levels off to fit into the fabric of the rest of the residential units. Standing in the neighborhood, one can see the stepping of the building which gets larger as it gets to the side of historic and larger scale buildings.

Adam Sq.

Roslindale’s Adam Sq. was placed in the center of a very communal area. Many of the people that inhabit this historic village outside of Boston are able to enjoy its presence. Looking down the hill, the park leads to what looks like a very important area of the village, with its church and much larger scale buildings. Just up the hill, the park leads to an area of small scale shops. Just beyond the shops begin the residential neighborhoods of Roslindale Village. The park acts as the connection between small scale shops and residential neighborhoods to the larger scale, more important buildings of the village. This explains why many people are found in the park or around the park throughout the day. Looking at the section of the site, one could relate the site to an auditorium space. The park itself would be the seating, as it slopes down the hill to the stage, which would be the more historic part of Roslindale Village.

Northeastern Courtyard

This courtyard in the Northeastern campus almost acts as the central nucleus of this section of the campus. Providing pathways in every direction and for every desired destination, students continuously enter and exit the courtyard as they travel through campus. The dormitories that immediately surround the courtyard form their shape around the courtyard, creating a more indulged relationship with the site in which it sits. Large amounts of windows and glass also allow the students to have a relationship with the courtyard. Large openings are cut out of the buildings to allow passage to and from the courtyard.

ICA

Sitting on the edge of the historical Boston harbor, the ICA remains very much interacted with the harbor. The view of the harbor from the site is very intriguing. The architect of the ICA building, seems to use this to his advantage. With an outdoor cafe, outdoor auditorium seating, and the large viewing hall on the top floor all facing the harbor, the building seems to frame the harbor creating different views that are continuously changing. Not only does the building capture different views of the harbor, but looking at the building in section one can notice a similarity in shape to the overall site in which it inhabits. It seems as if the harbor actually continues through the building. Whether or not this was the intention of the architect, this is the feeling I experienced when at the site.

Christian Science Center

Walking into the site, I recognized the importance of the center building. Both buildings, to the front and to the side are very orthogonal and because of this, very directional. But looking at the central building and its semi-circular entrance, large dome, and smaller domes sitting on the polygonal wings of the building, a sense of direction did not come to me.

It kept my attention focused solely on that building and how it sits in the site. Looking further at the site and the openness to the side, I felt a sort of direction toward the pool on the side. This focuses most of the attention on the central building and its relationship with large reflecting pool. Another thing I noticed, was that if you stood looking at the corner of the central building where it is open to the front and to the side where the pool is, the pool on the side and the large area of grass almost create an axis of symmetry at that corner.

Back Bay Fens

Back Bay Fens has become an area used to escape the busy city life. Originally designed by Olmstead to relieve the Charles River of over flooding during storms, the topography levels change drastically along the banks of the river. By adding recreational elements such as walking paths, basketball courts, baseball fields, and gardens, the original design for the space mainly goes unnoticed. Surrounding buildings form along the curves of the park, creating a direct relationship between the residents and the park. The buildings also act as some sort of wall or enclosure, framing the Fens within the city of Boston. Although the Fens was originally designed to deal with flood waters, the original design remains masked by its use of recreation and urban escape.

Trinity Church and Hancock Tower - Copley Sq.

Walking into Copley Sq., the first thing I noticed was the reflection on the John Hancock Tower. One would think that the tower would be overpowering and oppressive on a site of such smaller and older buildings. I felt the exact opposite. It seemed to me that because of how reflective the tower is, it almost seemed like it wasn't even there. It's as if you could see right through the tower, looking at the rest of the buildings that fit into the fabric of the city. It almost kept me from looking up at the tower, and in fact, I didn't look up at the tower until I walked around the entire site. The reflections seem to keep your attention down within the square. There is also a section of the tower that does fit into the fabric, that extends out of the diagonal shape. With that section of the tower and the materials chosen for the tower, I feel that the designer was successful in keeping the importance of the site and the focus not on the tower as one may seem.

Boston Public Gardens - Commonwealth Ave.

While being in this space, I got a feeling of separation from the city. The public garden was surrounded by trees and only revealing the city in the far distance. While on the walkway on Commonwealth Ave., the separation seems endless as it goes on farther than I could see down that central axis. Now, to either side of Comm. Ave., there are those row-houses that fit into the fabric of the city. But looking closer, there are certain high points that show some sort of importance to that building and that part of the neighborhood.


Also, although the walkway on Comm. Ave. and the public garden seem separated from each other, looking closer you can see that they actually are connected by the statues that are placed rigidly every so many feet along the central axis. This area in the city of Boston seems like it is a place that everyone really enjoys. With people walking or jogging everywhere, tours going on, and people just relaxing on benches and enjoying the urban escape, the public garden and walkway of Comm. Ave. seems to be an important part of people's everyday lives.

Louisburg Square - Beacon Hill

Louisburg Square is a wealthy neighborhood of Federal-style row houses located on Beacon Hill in Boston, MA. It is currently the site of the most expensive real estate and among the oldest sites in the history of Boston. It was first settled and established by William Blaxton in 1625. It was later named after a battle in 1745 in which Massachusetts Militia men sacked a French fortress on the site.

Louisburg Square, known for its narrow streets, brick sidewalks, and gas-lit lanterns, along with the Italian marble statues of Aristedes and Christopher Columbus, suggests an influence of European culture brought by its first settlers.





The federal-style row houses were all a part of the city fabric. They were all about the same height and width. Each doorway, was celebrated with some sort of architectural detail, bringing some importance to the entrance of the home. The windows grew smaller as they ascended in height, establishing a hierarchy to the floors of the home. Many of the homes had exterior walkways on the upper floors, allowing for people to enjoy the square from a different perspective.

The park in the square, housing the two statues and many trees, provided a good amount of shade to the area. Down below in the streets, the trees make traveling by foot much more enjoyable during the warmer months. The trees also provide shade to the row houses, covering most of the windows with shade for most of the day. In the winter and colder months, the leaves have fallen, allowing sun to heat the houses.