An urban infill : a residual site in Boston

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the treatment of residual sites in the context of the urban environment and in particular with the wounds inflicted by the passage of the Massachusetts Turnpike through the city of Boston. The Pike, crossing the city from east to west at a level which is approximately twenty feet below the established city datum, has resulted in deep perforations of the city skin and it has caused discontinuity in the urban fabric. The result is the formation of "leftover" sites in the city which are devoid of life. The proposed solution involves the study of a possible way to span the highway passing underneath and to integrate this residual site with the surrounding community. This results into two distinct structural systems: one which anchors itself along the dividers of the Turnpike and of the railway lines and one which sits on firm ground. The design calls attention to this twofold structural issue, but also tries to resolve the two systems into an integrated building. The consequent treatment of the block, is the connection and formation of public pathways and plazas, within the surrounding context and the proposed development.