Site Visit 4: Back Bay Fens, Fenway (Sept 28, 2007)

The space we visited this past friday is a great example of Frederick Law Olmsted's conception of creating a peaceful natural setting near densely urban centers, as mentioned by the author Cynthia Zaitzevsky on our weekly reading. The development of a space like the Emerald Necklace in the densely urban city that is Boston, or even more specifically this area that we analyzed in the Fenway Parkway, brings an organic, quiet and green authority into the grid and orthogonality of the urban fabric.







The space within the Fenway Parkway is clearly defined by an urban wall that continues the parkway's organic shape in the northern part of the space, on the western and southern parts the many rows of trees and pathways and the river create this defined curved edge to the space we analyzed.






As you can see in the plan, axon and section (click on the image for clear picture), from the edges of the streets and urban fabric that surrounds the parkway all the way to the center of the man-made nature there are many thresholds and buffer zones performed by pathways, trees and vegetation. These buffer zones gradually separate the central space from the urban area and thus it is possible to enjoy quiet and peaceful outings within this space in a way that you can forget you are in the city.
















That was the intension of Olmsted's project that he greatly accomplished not only in the area we analyzed but throughout Boston Park Systems.

Site Visit 3: John Hancock Tower and Trinity Church (Sept 21, 2007)

Copley Square is an area with a variety of styles and many great historic buildings such as the Boston Public Library, the Berkley Building and Trinity Church. The new John Hancock Tower brought this great modern feeling into this place and the green spaces make this area harmonious.











More specifically analyzing the space between John Hancock Tower and Trinity Church this contrast between old and new is quite evident. As you can see in the photographs and the sketches, these two buildings complement each other in their surroundings and is very hard to get a picture of one of them without the other, unless you are only capturing a detail or just a portion of the building.



Architecturally they are very different. Trinity Church designed by Henry Richardson in the French Romanesque style is very geometric in plan and quite complex in detail and texture. On the other hand, across from St. James Avenue, the John Hancock Tower presents a very simple geometric form in plan and its exterior too. The facade completely covered by many rectangular glasses create this simple and consistent elevations very different from Trinity Church.

Although very different in size and shape, these two buildings come together in their extended green spaces. The open green spaces that both buildings have on the side of Clarendon Street work together in creating this big open green space at the intersection.

Site Visit 2: Commonwealth Avenue, Back Bay (September 14, 2007)

Approaching this site (coming from Arlington T Station) after turning a couple of corners, one gets a strong sense of openness.

Compared to the previous site we visited las Friday, this space is much more exposed and bright as opposed to the enclosed and narrow Louisburg Square.
As a continuation of the Boston Public Garden, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall emphasizes the symmetry and axial characteristics of the Back Bay's urban fabric and becomes a link between the residential buildings of this area with the green space of the Boston Common. This is also accentuated by the locations and positions of the statues, they are facing each other along the main axis. The statues together with the strong axis of the Comm. Ave Mall and Public Garden are responsible for keeping the sense of symmetry through the break that is Arlington Street.


Very much like Louisburg Square the site has many in between spaces created by the interaction of proportions between the surrounded buildings and the rows of trees. (See BB Section)

Site Visit 1: Louisburg Square, Beacon Hill (Sept 7, 2007)

Approaching the site from Charles Street, going up a fairly steep slope, you become aware of how enclosed the space is. Surrounded by town houses with the same characteristics and color palette remains a narrow grassy rectangle enclosed by a dark iron fence. The fence itself fits into the surroundings with its color and details matching the iron railings of the town houses. It's impressive how the although narrow grassy field becomes much more of its surroundings. Creating an interesting space through proportional interaction of forms and spaces, specifically the trees and buildings and the spaces created between them (green space and streets).

The sun makes its way in through narrow and tall gaps of the adjacent streets and through the condensed leaves of the summer trees.
All of these qualities make the space a pleasant and charming small square in Beacon Hill.