a bar, a tower, a courtyard
harvard gsd
instructor: charlotte von moos
with siyu zhu
A new housing project is proposed for a triangular site that is situated between the Rose Kennedy Greenway and the Boston City Hall. The building reconciles three architectural typologies - the bar, the courtyard, and the tower, to create new relationships between the Downtown and the Greenway and between the residents and the surrounding community. The building is conceived as a long continuous bar building which folds around the triangular site. At the folds and ends, intersecting roof planes define gables via absence, marking entry points to the building that also serves to create linkages between the Greenway and City Hall. A tower block is placed at the northern corner of the site, marking an entry point to the building and creating an implied urban frame for the downtown skyline to the west. Units are accessed by way of a continuous exterior balcony along the interior face of the building and have generous access to light and air on both sides. Above, a generous exterior rooftop balcony that offers views toward the downtown skyline and the sea.