@ Chadwick Lead Works FortniteHill @ChdikLd

What can a dialogue between the wisdom of the past and progressive outlook of the present and future become?

Spring 2022 / Comprehensive Design Studio / Peter Wiederspahn in collaboration with Sung-jun Kim

Fort Hill’s history is complex and interconnected with the history of Boston as a whole, and that should be celebrated.

Chadwick Lead Works Timeline

A building steeped in Boston History, The Chadwick Lead Works was built following the demolition of Fort Hill. It now sits close to the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a product of, and surviving constant renewal, rebuilding and development since the original settlement of Europeans on the Massachusett Tribe’s land.

Our adaptive reuse project wanted to pay homage to this history, while remaining focused on the needs of the future.

Highlighting a unique function and architectural element of the Lead Works— the Shot Tower, our project brings back the memory of the fortress, while adapting the building to the sustainability and accessibility needs of the present and the future.

A light-filled atrium addition unites the two grids and floor plates of the existing buildings, organizing the circulation and providing modern building necessities. A funnel roof and rainwater capture system bring a new use to the shot tower that echoes back to the original shot production, while serving as a natural cooling tower.

Map Images courtesy of Mapjunction / http://goodoldboston.blogspot.com/2011/09/fort-hill.html / https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/7-fun-facts-about-the-boston-irish/ / https://globalboston.bc.edu/index.php/home/ethnic-groups/irish/13-half-moon-place-1849/ / https://aknextphase.com/the-chadwick-lead-works/ https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/letters/2015/06/24/taxes-not-solution-for-american-decline/WTLTwu6h0OYiD96WwofikN/story.html / The Boston Globe / Digital Commonwealth / https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/central-artery-project-announced.html

Existing Conditions:

Molten Lead Perforated Pan

Lead Falling

By bringing all of the services into the new additions in

Iteration II Proposal:

Surface Tension Makes Spheres

plates of the existing building are freed up as open space. Contrary to the large atrium, this almost doubles the usable floor area in the building.