Matthew Cunningham and Jessica Bartenhagen
Submission 0111
Inside :: Out. Creativity made visible, made identifiable, made ecological.
The arts bring life to urban culture, as green spaces bring vitality to urban
landscapes.
Art, ecology, and identity converge. A new extensive greenroof retrofitted
to the buildings of the Boston Center for the Arts renders an environmental
consciousness of place making. Smart stormwater management strategies are
visible and integral to the sustainability of this system. Vegetated aerial
viaducts represent a collective initiative to make evident the natural and
creative processes within this built environment. The viaducts mark entrances
and stand as iconic spatial structures––a recognizable identity
for the BCA community. The block is claimed and unified.
The plaza surface remains open, accessible, and flexible. The existing Zelkova
tree is framed by a raised planted platform, shading one edge of the open
lawn. Artists and audiences continually redefine the space. Tensile cloth
canopies secured between structures temporarily moderate shade, wind, and
rain. The structures encourage creative lighting and signage for nighttime
use and special events. A stand of bamboo softens the artists’ courtyard
and the space continues to be a place of production. The viaduct structures
stretch between the surrounding buildings in this inward-looking space, knitting
a breezy, living ceiling for this outdoor studio.
The new face of the BCA links local history with simple green technology.
Inside moves out as art, ecology and identity converge.
