Evy Zwiebach: Reserved Park Master Plan

Evy Zwiebach

GSD2201 Site Representation and Research

December 2010

Objective

The Reserved Park Master Plan is a response to the current needs of the South Boston Waterfront district. The South Boston Waterfront (SBW) is a neighborhood in transition. While the area’s historical industrial uses still predominate, industry is no longer enough to sustain the district, and much of the SBW land lies vacant or underused. New non-industrial uses are beginning put roots in the district and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC), which opened in 2004, is at the vanguard of this movement. The BCEC, however, faces serious obstacles of isolation and underperformance and these obstacles are hindering both it and the district’s ability to thrive.

The Reserved Park Master Plan seeks to overcome these challenges by establishing a fine-grain urban fabric around the BCEC and by strategically expanding the BCEC eastward. Expansion is crucial to making the BCEC nationally competitive and thus more successful, and eastward growth proves pivotal to the convention center’s integration. Eastward growth shifts the district’s center of gravity towards the Reserved Channel and reframes the district. From this new frame, a neighborhood center—Reserved Park—emerges.

Reserved Park is envisioned first and foremost as a true neighborhood. The plan thus calls for a strong residential community housed in a variety of low-rise and mid-rise residential buildings. Residential use is complemented by office and retail uses. Reserved Park is also intended to serve as a public and community amenity for the district and Boston as a whole. The center thus includes a Community Pavilion and a landmark park providing recreational space and opportunities. The park design facilitates interplay between the expanded BCEC and the neighborhood center, thus weaving the BCEC into the new urban fabric.

Reserved Park, in tandem with the surrounding subdistricts, will bring significant reinvestment to the SBW. Under the Master Plan, the reimagined SBW will be poised for success and will become a port for new opportunities.

Presentation of Ideas in Google Earth

Working in Google Earth was a wonderful tool for analysis. It allowed me to really explore what the physical effect and impact of the subdistrict plan would be, to better grasp the scale of the area I was working in, and to quickly show others my inspiration by linking pictures. Being able to turn on and off existing buildings also allowed me to experiment with different permutations. Please see my Google Earth model linked below.

An image of my district plan.

An aerial view of the San Francisco Moscone Convention Center,

an important precedent for my plan.

Working in Sketchup

Working in Sketchup was crucial to the making of the plan and model. Sketchup allowed me to really understand the dimensions of my subdistrict and to get a better approximation of what the plan would feel in real life. In Sketchup, I was able to experiment with the design of the convention center expansion, my street grid, park, and square footage of different buildings. Shadow studies helped me decide on the location of taller buildings. You can find my model in Google's 3D Warehouse. Click here.

The Program in Context

Here's an image of my model in the context of the South Boston Waterfront:

Here's a closer look:

Critical Elements of the Reserved Park Plan

A Video Fly-Through

Here's a quick video tour of the model. Enjoy the ride!

Concluding Thoughts

I hope my model and video can inspire others to reimagine the possibilities for the South Boston Waterfront. Please, add your own ideas!