DISCOVERING MISSION HILL
1 / STUDIES & PROPOSALS
NEIGHBORHOOD ANALYSIS THROUGH INTUITION • TEMPORALITY • GEOMETRY
INTUITION ANALYSIS
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The intuition reading are based on the first impressions of a site. As a definition, intuition is the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning, and when exploring Mission Hill I was trying my best to act as if I were a first time visitor. The methodology for exploration was to travel around the neighborhood and record interesting thoughts and feelings. The following sketches document my journey throughout the neighborhood. 1. Puddingstone Park 2. St. Alphonsus Street/SMFA 3. Pontiac Street 4. New England Baptist Hospital/Informal Pathways 5. Heath Street Traffic Circle 6. Darling Street 7. Informal Pathways. After visiting, my findings were that the neighborhood was very self-sufficient neighborhood that had its own businesses, schools, and adequate housing. It was for the most part clean, and in my opinion should be celebrated as a part of Boston. The most important aspect of “The Hill” was the streets and directions, they don’t really work in the most efficient way, with a lot of informal pathways used to cut walking distance down. I propose for transformation that these pathways become more noticeable and sculpted with new architecture along side of them to help connect Mission Hill with the rest of Boston.
School of The Museum of Fine Arts Site
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New England Baptist/Top of The Hill Site
TEMPORALITY ANALYSIS The temporality analysis informs us of a space using history as a method. In this photojournal we document the Unchanging, the Rythmic, and the Fast History. When we identify these elements by their type we can figure out what has worked in the past and what hasn’t or what may work in the future. We can successfully meet the needs of a community and create more informed transformatons.
SLOW
RYTHEMIC
- The existing history of the place does not change, will always effect what is currently there.
FAST PACED
- The Longwood Medical area has had direct influence with an influx of population, neighborhoods have changes styles over the years.
- The Boston water features have significant influence on the cities development.
- Brigham Circle is Mission Hills CBD. It has a fast paced sense with crowds, stores, bars, traffic,and trash. - The fabric of the neighborhood is ever changing. Abandoned, current, and new.
- The Puddingstone Quarry when level had direct access across the neighborhood. Now that it has been dug, it has changed the neighborhood pattern.
- Puddingstone is a important feature distinctly in the Mission Hill neighborhood.
Proposal- Take the personality and history of the neighborhoods. It tries to alleviate problems formed by previous history.
- Informal pathways have been formed because of residents’ need to go from point A to B in the quickest way possible.
MATHEMATICSANALYSIS The third of the technique in analysis is Mathematics. The analysis here examines the city through the relationships of streets, neighborhoods and important elements. The analysis is done in three categories: Topology, Geometries and Orientation, and Polarity.
Topology analysis - This analysis identifies the districts in Boston and how they are described in scale and how busy they are.
Geometry analysis - This analysis identifies the entities in Boston and how they are organized, oriented, and developed.
Weight analysis - This analysis identifies the key destinations in Boston, ones that make people move towards them.
SYNTHESIS Synthesis is an important step towards transformation. Taking influence from the first three readings I want to make Mission Hill more dignified in the city of Boston. I am a firm believer that bringing new architecture and program can attract and draw people from one place to another, and thus improve the neighborhood in regards to economics and social interaction. On the right, the proposal is as follows: Huntington Avenue and Columbus Avenue are situated in a way where it is possible to ignore the neighborhood by going past it on its outerboundries. However these roads, especially Huntington Ave has important polarities which draw people to them. I propose, by using St. Alphonsus and the informal pathways created by residents to create a new entryway into the neighborhood scaped with urban aspects, and architecture.
DANIEL K NAYLOR Professor Johnston
WENTWORTH ARCHITECTURE
DECEMBER 3 2009
2 / MASTER PLAN
MISSION HILL TODAY GLOBAL OBJECTIVES FOR TRANSFORMATION • DETERMINE IDENTITY OF MISSION HILL -DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOOD - KEEP IT THIS WAY -SELF SUFFICIENT NEIGHBORHOOD INCLUDING HOUSING, JOBS -RESTAURANTS, BARS, STORES, GROCERIES - KEEP IT THIS WAY - CONSIDER HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE - FACTORIES, BREWERIES - CONSIDER NEIGHBORHOOD AND ITS DEMOGRAPHICS i.e. STUDENTS / MEDICAL PERSONELL / AVERAGE AGE 20 - 25 • OFTEN OVERLOOKED -HAS A LOT TO OFFER - BRIGHAM CIRCLE / PARKS - DENSITY OF NEIGHBORHOOD LOPSIDED -MAIN THOROUGHFARE SKIPS MISSION HILL - HUNTINGTON/COLUMBUS -LACKS POINTS OF INTEREST WHEN COMPARED TO THRIVING BOSTON NEIGHBORHOODS •MESSY STREET/PEDESTRIAN PATHS -PUDDINGSTONE QUARRY/EXISTING TOPO PROVES DIFFICULT FOR CROSSING NEIGHBORHOOD
TRANSFORMATION STUDY
PROPOSAL FOR MISSION HILL DESIGN PRINCIPLES & PILOT PROJECTS BORROW THE BEST FROM MISSION HILL & BOSTON
CREATE ACTIVE GATHERING PLACES
- DIVERSITY OF BUILDING TYPES
- (BACK OF THE HILL SQUARE) WILL ATTRACT RESIDENTS AND VISITORS WITH ITS MIX OF RETAIL, RECREATION, CULTURAL AND CIVIC ACTIVITY
- TRADITIONAL CAMPUS COURTYARDS - INTERCONNECTED OPEN SPACES
- PARKER HILL LOTS WILL BE TRANSFORMED AS A SPACE FOR STUDENTS, AND RESIDENTS WITH APARTMENT LIVING ABOVE RETAIL AND COMMUNITY NEEDS ALSO A SPECIAL PUBLIC PAVILION.
- LOCAL & CONTEMPORARY MATERIALS SUCH AS PUDDINGSTONE
- TRANSFORM LAND BETWEEN TWO PROJECTS AS A DESIGNATED GREENSPACE LANDSCAPED , WELL-LIT, AND INCLUDE A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES.
TRANSFORM BLIGHT AND UNDERUSED LANDSCAPES
- CONNECT ALL THE WAY TO LONGWOOD CAMPUSES, WENTWORTH, NORTHEASTERN, ETC. - CONNECT WITH PUDDINGSTONE PARK AND MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS SCHOOL
MAKE CONNECTIONS TO THE REST OF THE CITY
- CONVERT THE AREA INTO A COLLEGIATE AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT FOCUSING ON THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE AREA - CREATE A LIVELY PUBLIC REALM WITH GRACIOUS, WALKABLE STREETS AND PATHS
- IMPLEMENT AND REVAMP STREETS, URBAN LANDSCAPES - PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSIT, CELEBRATE NEW MBTA TRANSIT FACILITY
- RENNOVATE TREMONT STREET INTO A APPROPRIATE CITY STREET MUCH LIKE IN NIEGHBORHOODS SUCH AS THE SOUTH END, OR BACK BAY
PILOT PROJECTS
ASSEMBLE A VARIETY OF USES IN CLOSE PROXIMITY
IMPLEMENT CHANGES IN PHASES. QUICK DRASTIC CHANGES COULD BE HARD FOR THE COMMUNITY.
- TRANSPORTATION, RETAIL, COMMUNITY SPACE, EATERIES
PROJECTS INCLUDE: MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS EXTENSION, EATERIES (CRAFT BREWERY?) AND RETAIL LOCATIONS ON THE BACK OF THE HILL, CIVIC AND TOWN AMENITIES (POST OFFICE, DAYCARE, ETC), PUBLIC SQUARES AND A PAVILLION FOR PEDESTRIAN INTERACTION AND PERFORMANCES FROM LOCAL ARTISTS, STUDENTS, SPEAKERS, ETC. NEW SPACE ON TREMONT STREET FOR GALLERIES,
- CULTURE AND ATHLETICS - UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE HOUSING / HOUSING FOR YOUNG PROFFESSIONALS
LOCAL CRAFT BEERS, ETC.
- RELOCATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING - EXTEND GREEN LINE TO JACKSON SQUARE CREATE HUB FOR PARKING, COMMERCE, ETC
DANIEL K NAYLOR Professor Johnston
WENTWORTH ARCHITECTURE
DECEMBER 3 2009
3 / ENGAGING SPACES
Village Plan
Circulation
MBTA stops
Proposed Buildings
Existing Buildings
Program Diagram
Perspectives Showcasing Space
Cross Section DANIEL K NAYLOR Professor Johnston
WENTWORTH ARCHITECTURE
DECEMBER 3 2009