ruminations about architecture and design

Thursday, October 7, 2010

footbridge in Boston


They are planning some major renovation work to the Longfellow Bridge in Boston and the Globe recently reported that a replacement to the footbridge immediately south of the Charles Circle will be included in the project.
Boston has an opportunity to do something quite interesting, but I'm not holding my breath. The existing bridge has more than a few problems, including a loose handrail at the base of the stairs on the river side, and its architectural character can only be described as mediocre. I predict that the city will choose a design that is unequivocally discrete and unexciting. The new T station and the Longfellow Bridge work well together, but I think that some critics would perceive anything on the footbridge that has strong vertical components or sculptural qualities to be pushing the envelope a little too far. We'll see what happens. I think the location would benefit from something like the Alamillo Bridge (pictured here).

No comments:

Post a Comment