Igor Siddiqui
Submission 0190
Silk-screened
This project transforms the architectural image of the Boston Center for the Arts by proposing to place a translucent screen along the edge of its front plaza. The screen, approximating the width and the height of the existing building elevations along the plaza acts as a visual layer – not unlike a layer of silk-screened half-tone dots applied onto an image – that abstracts, unifies and updates the frontal appearance of the Center. It also, by the virtue of its siting along the plaza’s perimeter, redefines the outdoor space as an explicit extension of the Center’s facilities, one whose permeable boundaries are identified as a means of opening up its resources to the larger community. Finally, the depth of the screen, which accounts for structural stability, opens up the opportunity for inhabitation and programming, thus vertically expanding the existing square footage area of the plaza. Integral to the structure is a system of universally accessible ramps, a set of stairs and a series of platform of various widths, each with rich potential for public programming. We imagine this to be a place of spectatorship for the various events that take place in front of the BCA – musical performances, community parades and lectures – as well as outdoor seating for a seasonal cocktail bar, a place for DJ performances, or instead a tranquil lunch spot surrounded by the trees and away from the activities of the sidewalk.
