crit happens

two of the panelists during my crit mentioned the Big Dig House in Boston by Single Speed Design. so I went looking for clues on why that particular project was mentioned to me at least three times. Most are familiar with Boston’s ongoing “Big Dig.” Few, however, give thought to the massive amount of waste that accompanies construction on this scale, namely the dismantling of the existing and temporary roadways. "The Big Dig Building proposes to relocate and recycle these infrastructural materials as building components, adapting them to uses ranging from structural members to cladding. Furthermore, as these reused materials can withstand much higher loads than conventional building elements, the social ramifications of “heavy” in relation to “dwelling” can produce new and innovative results"(http://www.ssdarchitecture.com/works/residential/big-dig-building). I was surprised at the amount of parallels that exist between this project and the one I am working for my degree project. Infrastructure, reuse, recycle, and possibly even the program of housing are all terms that have been articulated carefully in the description of this project. My proposal for the I195 slightly differs in that I am studying a development over time...I mean, afterall I have titled it 'unfinished architecture'. crit happened, and the process of deconstruction and reconstruction that is latent in my site is still not tangible in my project. now, that is the fun part.

delightful diagram I found on the ssd website:

In my Cities, Urbanization, and Nature sociology class I had to do some readings on the nature of cities and suburbs. Ebenezer Howard, known for garden cities, describes the differences between a country life versus town life and combines positive aspects of both in his new vision of a city. the key to the problem how to restore the people to the land -that beautiful land of ours, with its canopy of sky, the air that blows upon it, the sun that warms it, the rain and dew that moisten it- the very embodiment of Divine love for man. many of the existing proposals for the strip of land that is covered by the I195 stress the need for green spaces. pedestrian accessible green spaces seem to exist in Providence in patches that are either hard to access or unfriendly (ex: Kennedy Plaza). what role could green open space play between downtown and the jewelry district, and how could it be integrated to the history of the space and developable land are questions that my project should be asking at the urban scale.