URBANICA BLOG: SNEAK PEEK: PROPOSAL FOR 77 TERRACE STREET

View From Terrace Street: Activated Streetscape with Gallery Cafe and Art Inspired Landscaping
Image Credit: Urbanica Design

The Department of Neighborhood Development and the BRA are seeking the very best practitioners in the Sustainable Development and Green Building industry to help us create a lasting, inspiring development. The Mission Hill site is leading the Mayor’s E+ Green Communities Program, which seeks to advance Boston’s Sustainable Development and Green Building efforts to the next level by creating LEED Platinum, energy positive, healthy homes that enhance the sustainability of the surrounding communities.

The Mission Hill RFP is comprised of two sites:

Site 1: 790-796 Parker Street (approximately 15, 007 square feet)

Site 2: 778-788 Parker Street + 77 Terrace Street (approximately 42,450 square feet)

Click here for more details on the [RFP].

As a response to the RFP, we are proposing a mixed use development that includes an approximately 41,000 square foot building with 33 residential units and approximately 3,000 square foot gallery/cafe at the ground level. The project will include redesigning the important 14,000 square foot community garden with an "art walk" and sculpture court for the residents and community to enjoy.On-site parking will be included in a partial underground garage and covered structure.

The proposed building and landscaping is designed with a special emphasis on sustainability. Our design approach is based on 3 major strategies for energy reduction:

A super insulated building envelope to minimize heat transfer and to minimize mechanical conditioning.

State of the Art Energy Management Systems to monitor energy consumption and to regulate resident behavior.

An integrated public art and landscaping strategy to capture/recycle runoffs and for public art display.

The building site consists of two parcels which total nearly one acre. The upper parcel on at 778-788 Parker Street is currently a community garden, and will remain so, albeit with significant landscape improvements. The main building and all of the parking will be located on the lower parcel at 77 Terrace Street. As a whole, the project site is characterized by two very different kinds of building contexts. Parker Street is a residential neighborhood and made up mostly of three and four story houses. Many of the houses have covered porches and balconies that enable residents to take full advantage of the distant views. In contrast, Terrace Street is made up with a mix of commercial and light industrial uses. More specifically, there are several uses related to the building trades and arts such as a glass-blowing studio and a recycled building materials showroom. Our design proposal responds to these two contexts by creating two distinctly different facades that reflects the surroundings.

On Parker Street, the building is expressed as two upright boxes with proportions that are based on the existing townhouses types in the area. The façade, which will overlook the community garden, is comprised as a series of attached porches with operable wood shutters for privacy. On Terrace St. the building façade is made up of a two story, horizontally-oriented box made of burnt orange metal panel over a ground floor, glass storefront system. The expression is a decidedly more industrial aesthetic.

The long bar, which connects the upper and lower blocks, makes up the rest of the building. The long bar’s material expression mediates between the upper and lower building expressions. The primary exterior cladding of the long bar is a burnt orange metal panel with carved out areas that are clad in wood.

Beyond the two different building contexts, the project site possesses some unique characteristics that inform our design approach. Perhaps the most notable is the topography. The site drops nearly 40’ from top to bottom- or from Parker Street to Terrace Street. On the one hand, the steep profile allows for expansive views and also the potential to harness the sun for energy, on the other hand, there is a substantial amount of ledge which precludes the possibility for multiple levels of underground parking. The other two considerations, the existing arts park and community gardens, both figure prominently into our design approach.

Our design proposes to replace the existing arts park with a new outdoor art-related amenities, called the “Arts Walk” and “Sculpture Court”. The “Arts Walk” will be a meandering public path comprised of a series of terraced landscaped areas and platforms for outdoor sculpture. We will also explore creating custom art works for the building façade including a permanent light installation embedded within the façade and a custom mural on the building. At the bottom of the “Arts Walk”, there is a small outdoor amphitheater and sculpture court. This space is adjacent and visually connected to a ground floor art gallery/café.

As per the requirements of the RFP, the existing community garden must be retained. Our proposal maintains the location of the community garden, but improves it substantially. On Parker Street, we propose a decorative metal fence along the sidewalk with a centralized gateway for public access. The garden plots will be made up of a system of rectangles that will be part of the overall design composition. A public path will be carved out of the community garden and will lead either directly to the Arts Parks Residences building’s upper entrance or to the “Art’s Walk”.

The landscape design creatively engages the community by drawing on themes from the existing art park to activate the site as a model for environmental and neighborhood sustainability. The other key elements of the site design encourage sustainable possibilities for growing food and recycling rainwater. The landscape design will communicate the inherently temporal and seasonal fluctuations of the site's microclimate. The rain and community gardens also serve as both pleasurable and didactic learning experiences, enabling the residents and community members to engage and understand the complex and dynamic processes of an productive landscape.

Please check out the boards that we submitted as part of the RFP submission for greater details: