Boston Garden and North Station area : building the architectural infrastructure for development

Abstract

In recent years, the advancement of structural technology, the accumulation of capital, and legal manipulation of land ownership have made available for development air rights parcels above existing buildings and, in particular, transportation systems. Some cities, including Boston, have chosen to develop these air right parcels after development had exhausted all downtown real estate. These parcels above transportation systems, such as highways and railroads, are by their nature very large. Unfortunately, these large tracts of land have often attracted singular, over-scaled buildings which are isolated from the surrounding downtown fabric. In this thesis, attempts are made to design the architectural infrastructure for development-one which allows for continuity and variety based on the hierarchical organization of spaces, buildings, and their sizes. Boston Garden and the North Station Area is the project site. An open-ended infrastructure IS designed for development of a mixed-use district. Drawings and photographs of models are used to illustrate design concepts and processes.