2008
Almost since it first opened, Boston City Hall has been the subject of acrimonious debate. But, is the architecture of City Hall really to blame for all of Government Center's problems?
Can City Hall be a fun, lively and exciting place again?
Is there a potential use for the enormous, desert-like plaza?
The buildings are not the culprits. The problems with Boston’s Government Center stem from the following reconcilable issues:
1. Demographics – by design, the plaza and its surrounding buildings are populated almost solely by 9-5 bureaucrats.
2. Impermeability – a vibrant, constantly-used train station exists below the plaza, while at ground level, the vast expanse of pavement maintains little connection to the hubbub below.
3. Use – a lack of variation in program ensures that the area will remain disused outside of business hours and scheduled events.
City Hall Plaza's existing demographic consists of politicians, government bureaucrats, federal employees, lawyers, BRA planners, and their support staffs. This homogenous cast of characters remain in the area only from nine to five on weekdays. During other hours, the plaza is deserted. At the same time, the federal government is planning to vacate their enormous building on the plaza.
While the plaza suffers from a lack of demographic diversity, Suffolk University is in desperate need of more space to house a rapidly growing student population. As a first step to reinvigorating Government Center, the federal building could be easily converted to dormitories, instantly creating a 24-hour vibrant use for the plaza.
Unburdened of its restricted use as solely a government center, the plaza will become a vibrant multi-purpose destination. But the lack of permeability in the plaza surface would still segregate the various uses. However, if the surface could be made more permeable, and the vibrant train station could be integrated into the fabric of the plaza, then the district could become a fully-integrated multi-use destination. By opening up connections below ground with a new permeable surface, the plaza can become a 3-dimensional public space.
An Olympic-sized swimming pool, a cinema, shopping, and university facilities draw people to both the seat of government, and a place where citizens can make use of a wide array of entertainment facilities.
The new City Hall never sleeps.
The plaza serves as both filter and destination for a variety of uses as pedestrians gain new access through the site. The surface is re-conceptualized as a blanket, a porous membrane that permits visual and physical access between the site’s varied layers. While the openings decrease the scale of the open space, the blanket provides a unified plaza, of which Bostonians can still take advantage for large demonstrations and celebrations.