Transformation of a building type : a study of Back Bay houses in Boston

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to explore the transformation of an existing building type and the application of the support/infill concept in a new context. For this purpose, a traditional Back Bay residential form in Boston has been selected. The study has been carried out in two parts: (I) Part One consists of an observational study of the existing context. This involved an analysis on the levels of urban structure, urban tissue and lot unit. The rules of the original Back Bay house type are identified in the last section. (II) The second part comprises a design study based on the observed context by inserting new constraints. To discover possible floor-plan variations within the type, the support/ infill distinction has been applied. Furthermore, the application of the modified type to irregular lot forms is studied. At the end of the thesis unresolved issues are discussed..