Developer Don Chiofaro is proposing a three-tower structure on the site of the Harbor Garage, which he owns. It's a key location in Boston, between the New England Aquarium on one side and the center of the new Greenway on the other.William Pedersen of Kohn Pedersen Fox in New York, is the chief designer and in the current version of his conceptual design, there are two occupied towers. One holds 200-300 hotel rooms, topped by maybe 120 condos. The other tower contains 850,000 square feet of office space while it is still unclear what the program of the third tower is to be. "It's pure architecture, pure sculpture," says Chiofaro. "I want to make the buildings feel like a gateway from the harbor to the Greenway," reinforcing the sentiment in the city that Chiofaro really just wants the third tower to ensure that he owns the tallest building in Boston.
Responsible for the lower floors of the entire complex are Boston based architects Elkus Manfredi. The lower floors will house a shopping arcade, another 70,000 square feet with underground parking for 1,200 to 1,400 cars, meaning that the Harbor Garage is to be demolished.
Although Chiofaro reiterated several times that this mixed use project will revitalize the now dead Greenway by means of the shops and hotel, the plans have been received with very little enthusiasm of which I too share. As it is, the "greenway" has little green about it and another highrise casting yet another shadow is going to jeopardize what green is left. Also, the wind tunnel effect created will make connecting corridors very uncomfortable.
I am usually always in support of new building plans and ideas to help the stagnated economy but in this case, it looks like Chiofaro just wants to create a building that will earn him back some or all of his money lost when he overpaid for the harbor garage.
Image obtained from: www.boston.com.
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