My morning starts with a walk along the Greenway. I live in Beverly and take the commuter rail to North Station. From there it is about a 20 minute walk to our STA, Broad Street office.
The walk starts out a little hairy, as getting to the Greenway involves passing two active construction sites and crossing several busy roads. The danger is worth it however, because the city opens up ahead. The clear cut through the city provides a beautifully designed and wonderfully executed series of “places.”
The first of the open spaces does not make an attempt to delineate the activity which might happen there, but rather, provides a well-defined space for both doing and watching. The open grassy area becomes the stage for activity and the border, raised to seating height allows for sitting, watching and eating. The transition from stage to seating however, does not just abruptly happen, but rather transitions from grass to grooved granite pavers which turn up and become the seating surface.
As I continue my walk I pass the Boston Public Market, cross North Street and transition to a sidewalk along the outside of the Greenway. Here, the area opens up into a half moon providing space for public art. The current installation is by an artist named Matthew Hoffman.
The text reads,
“Nothing’s for keeps. Except that we must keep going. You’ll spend your entire life searching, ok? We all want to belong. So let’s all get along. Make the most, and hope. May this never end.”
After crossing over the exit from 93, (Helpful Hint: always wait for the walk signal) I arrive at Rings Fountain. Although not currently in operation, it is obvious that once again the idea is to view and be viewed. The fountain provides a random water display with a granite pinwheel at the center, and like a stone dropped in water, the concentric rings of granite radiate out to end in a sitting area that acts as the boarder for the space.
After passing the Greenway Carousel, I come to my favorite “place” along the Greenway. It is a structure which displays the care, craftsmanship and beauty that design is always meant to bring forth. The harbor Islands Pavilion is the simplest of structures using the simplest of materials. It is a combination of steel and concrete to form a beautifully curved roof which has three simple functions. The first and most obvious is to provide shelter to the pavilions below. The second, to provide a surface on which to collect solar energy to feed the same pavilion, and third, to channel water to the surrounding landscape.
When rain falls on the roof, due to the curvature, it flows to the center and falls to the lower roof. The lower roof has an even more dramatic curve which funnels the water into a waterfall-like stream that splashes down into a carved granite basin. The water is allowed to collect there to a certain level and is relieved by a simple gap in the stone leading to a steel drain below. The water then travels, unseen, to feed the landscape around the pavilion. Water in this case was not seen as a problem or even something to be fixed, but rather as an advantage and design opportunity.
My walk takes me through one more open space, and I slowly transition my thoughts to my work for the day, having been inspired by my walk along the greenway.
Nate
