Voices of the community

The Community Outreach component of the inside::out Design Competition is designed to increase public awareness of the ongoing arts programming at the BCA, to invite a wide variety of community members to envision ways the work of designers and their audience might connect and interact in a revitalized exterior space. The desire is to have participants engaged as stakeholders throughout the competition process.

The process, designed and implemented in conjunction with Steve Cecil of the Cecil Group, has three components:

The first was a series of Stakeholder Meetings to mine the thinking of key representatives from essential constituent groups: the artists affiliated with the BCA, the cultural institutions on campus, neighboring residents and businesses, and leaders with a city wide perspective.

Drawing on ideas generated in these initial discussions, a half-day public Visioning Event was held on January 21, 2006. This event was structured to engage members of the public at large in an informative, interactive opportunity to help shape the design program for the competition.

When the design jury selects finalists, the public will be invited to review the proposals at a Community Presentation Event. Finalists will make presentations of their design proposals to the public, and participate in a question and answer session. Public participants will be asked to provide written comment on their design preferences prior to the jury's final selection. The first step of the overall community outreach process was by invitation to the representative stakeholders. The Visioning Event and the Community Presentation Event have been widely advertised and are open to the broadest public possible in the hopes of generating maximum public input and enthusiasm for the project.

Results from the initial Stakeholder Meetings and the Visioning Event have been incorporated into the programmatic criteria section of the competition website. These results describe a wide array of ideas and attitudes toward possible futures for the BCA's inside::out Competition. They are meant to provide a user's perspective and inspiration to competition entrants as they embark upon their proposals.

Visioning Event Results

The BCA has hosted a series of meetings and a public "visioning" meeting to solicit information, provide input for the design program, and gather inspirations for the future of the public spaces that are the topic of this competition. The competition program reflects many helpful insights that have been gained through the process.

The following are representative of the extensive important community perceptions that emerged and that should be incorporated into the design concepts:

The BCA—as an urban cultural village—should have an identity that is legible in the open spaces that frame its activities and institutions, and that the identity should be clearly linked to the arts.
The spaces should be welcoming, inclusive and comfortable to all, and not appear or function to discourage any prospective user of the BCA, the neighborhood or the community at large.
The open space is simultaneously seen and needs to continue to serve as part of the overall neighborhood fabric by providing a civic space for informal meetings, small celebrations, and amenities not found elsewhere; these qualities should be retained and enhanced.
There should be fresh, new, inventive and non-traditional elements or uses for the spaces that are associated with the arts.
The site should be considered to extend vertically into the volumes above the open spaces. There are opportunities to visually connect the architecture, arts, and open spaces without significantly reducing the ground level areas that are needed for pedestrian and other uses.

Visioning event results: insights of participants

The following summarizes the visioning event held by the BCA on January 21st, and presents the insights of the participants within the context of the two sessions held by the staff of The Cecil Group. The visioning event provided information regarding the competition. Workshop sessions were then held in four "breakdown" groups. These allowed the participants to share their own perspectives on the existing characteristics of the site and surrounding area. Then the participants expressed their programmatic preferences for the spaces.

The event included approximately 75 participants, with diverse representation that included neighbors, employees and artists associated with the BCA institutions, representatives of area advocacy groups and institutions.

Several key concepts and roles were defined during the introduction to the sessions.

Program—The program is the list of instructions to the designers that are the requirements for success. The program conveys the spirit of the place, desired uses and users, pragmatic requirements. The program includes consideration of operations and management, performance and other non-physical elements. The program may also list activities or elements that should not occur.
Patrons—Participants were encouraged to think of themselves as patrons of a redesigned space, providing information and helping to assemble the design program for the subsequent designers who will participate in the competition and then design the improvements.
Designers—The designers were described as the competitors who will emerge with varying backgrounds and whose talents are being sought and valued.

The goals for the meeting, in keeping with these definitions, were to provide rich sets of ideas for the BCA to help frame the competition program, and an helpful frame of reference that contributes many perspectives of patrons who are stakeholders in the future of the spaces. The results are not intended to suggest that there is consensus among the participants or an endorsement of the ideas.

Session #1: What is out there (45 min.)

This session shared information and perspectives on the issues and opportunities associated with the competition site and its relationship to the surrounding context. The participants "mapped out" their impression of the character and activities within the BCA, in the public realm surrounding the BCA buildings, and in the immediate neighborhood.

The comments associated with what occurs on the "Inside" have not been included; this information is generally available, and the discussion was used to make sure that everyone in the groups was beginning with the same frame of reference.

The following comments are listed in two categories: comments pertaining to the public realm that is the site of the competition, and comments pertaining to the surrounding neighborhood context within several blocks of the site.

Site Observations

The "garden area" is appreciated as a landscaped space.
The tall evergreen tree is used for lighting for the holiday season and gay pride events.
Of the two large trees on the site, the deciduous tree is in good shape and the more valuable of the two, as the evergreen has been trimmed up "too far".
The site is very subject to microclimate conditions. It can be very cold and windy in the winter, and the large expanses of masonry and paving and southerly exposure make the plaza space very hot in the summer.
There are very different qualities along the two segments of the Tremont Street sidewalk, with the change occurring at the small bend in the site and street. Towards Berkeley Street, the site is perceived as large, monumental, cold, impersonal, unpopulated and architectural. The side towards Clarendon is perceived as warmer, diversified, greener, friendlier, populated.
The interior court is well known to the artists and occupants of the block, but unknown territory to others. The space had once been used as a temporary outdoor studio for large sculptures and informal summer cookouts among the artist in the surrounding building. More intensive use as a loading and parking area has increased over time to now become the more dominant use.
The one-way/two-way arrangement for traffic along Warren Avenue seems to be working very well, and the sidewalk, signage and parking layouts seem appropriate.
The kiosk was once a place where food (sandwiches?) were served, and is known as the automatic bank teller location. It is neither loved nor hated.
The restaurant/cafe uses that spill out onto the sidewalk are considered an asset, although it would be nice if some more affordably-priced choices were available.
The arrangement of the seasonal outdoor seating at Hamersly's and the location of the garden are perceived as somewhat awkward, because it diverts pedestrians to the outside edge of the sidewalk.
Participants are somewhat aware of the Warren Avenue entrance to the Community Music Center, but can't quite place it in their mind's eye.
The interior court is an uncomfortable place used to dispose of trash. It needs to be cleaned up and better vented.
The deliveries interfere with pedestrian circulation around the building.
The plaza is often used for seasonal events such as pumpkin carving and Christmas tree lighting.
There used to be a farmer's market in the summertime on the plaza—most participants wanted to bring it back.
There is no public seating and no place to "hang out".
The signage does not clearly mark the various components of the BCA, and there is little unity to the site as it stands today.

Context: Area Surrounding the Site

Clarendon has a major evening traffic peak that is related to cross-through traffic from the Back Bay making connections to the highway network to the south.
The small block defined by Tremont, Union Park, Clarendon and Montgomery Streets are condominiums above retail; one participant termed this block the first approved artist live/work space in the City.
the uses between Montgomery Street and Warren Avenue across Clarendon Street from the BCA are composed of a former church and other buildings that were among the early condominium conversions in the neighborhood.
This traffic must make a sharp jog to connect to Waltham Street, creating a significant pedestrian conflict.
Many different neighborhoods and constituencies come together on this site.
The arts district in the South End draws audiences away from the BCA.
The "restaurant row" on Tremont has been bringing more and more visitors to the area; however, they receive little information regarding the arts opportunities at the BCA.
Parking is difficult to navigate because Warren Avenue suddenly becomes one-way near the parking garage.
There is a small and highly valued community garden space owned by the South End Land Trust at the corner of Clarendon Street and Warren Avenue diagonally across from the BCA site.
The community gardens between East Berkeley Street and the public alley (South of Tremont) are a major community asset and landmark.
The fenced area at the corner of Berkeley Street and Tremont Street (diagonally opposite the site) are thought by some to be likely to change in the long term.
The Franklin Institute that is on this same block is a technical school that also serves some civic functions (community meetings, voting).
The enclosed gardens on the eastern corner of Berkeley and Tremont Street are separated from the sidewalk by fencing, and is understood to be the domain of the residents of the tenant-controlled housing on the block. This green space is favorably considered.
The concentration of traffic flows at the intersection of Berkeley and Tremont are substantial and make this into a pedestrian crossing challenge.
The new condominiums on Berkeley between Gray Street and Warren Street will be a major transformation from its former use as a police station.
The YMCA along Berkeley Street north of Gray Street is a focus for some community events; its interior courtyard garden is considered as a green space asset.
The pedestrian crossing at Wilford Street and Tremont Street is not controlled, has no crosswalks or lights, and is considered very open and dangerous. However, Milford Street is a commonly used pedestrian link to portions of the neighborhood to the south.
The pattern of uses across Tremont Street from the BCA is consistently a combination of housing above small retail or commercial spaces that serve the community.
Noise from performances at the BCA may be an issue for the housing across Tremont Street and along the immediate edges of the side streets.

Session #2: Program ideas, suggestions and recommendations (45 min.)

In the second session, the participants made suggestions regarding the program for the future of the plaza, the courtyard, and the sidewalks around the BCA. The participants were urged to think of themselves as the patrons of the design that will emerge, by setting out guidance or requirements. These suggestions ranged from general goals to specific uses or management needs. The general comments are collected below.

To help focus the discussion, participants were encouraged to think about seasonal differences and their implications on the design and management of the public realm. These comments are organized under headings for each of four seasons.

Participants were generally discouraged from taking on the role of designers, as this will be the task of the competitors. Nevertheless, some participants brought forward specific design concepts that are not "programmatic", but represented their own vision; these comments are collected at the end of this discussion.

General Comments and Suggestions

The design should provide maximum flexibility, and the sites should not be over-designed.
There should be seating for pedestrians.
There should be bicycle racks creatively integrated into the design.
The site should have safe walking surfaces.
It should be accessible by all.
Consistent lighting and signage may provide unity.
Safety is of major importance.
The site must create a magnet.
Unity, but not uniformity should drive the design.
There should be marquees visible in the dark.
Access for deliveries and solutions to waste disposal must be considered.
The space should provide all-season venues for events—a multi-seasonal arcade would be one possibility for addressing this.
The space should advertise the BCA.
Reconnecting the plaza with the courtyard should be considered.
There should be ventilation and sanitary improvements carried out in the courtyard.
The courtyard can serve as a space for performances, concerts, artists, events, as well as a noise-controlled environment for quiet rest.
An all-season sculpture could be installed.
The area should be easily maintained.
The space should allow for spontaneity.
Signage could define the BCA's identity.
There could be an interactive kinetic (wind/solar-powered) sculpture.
Art events could be programmed.
A kiosk/coffee shop could provide a meeting place.
There should be children-focused activities.
There should be seasonal lighting.
There could be outdoor installations using existing structures.
The space should announce the art and artists inside the building.
There should be interaction with the artists.
An outdoor amphitheater could be created.
An activity area could be set on Warren Avenue.
Different textures should define different areas.
There could be shadow art in the courtyard.
The dome should be projected to street.
There should be interactive marketing for the BCA.
There could be an interactive children's garden/sculpture.
The triangle in front of Calderwood pavilion should be utilized.
Traffic issues must be understood to define the space.
There should be a multiple-level redevelopment of the courtyard space taking advantage of the demolition of the small, low addition.
Programmed art is preferable to permanent art.
The courtyard should be programmed as performance space.
There needs to be places for "sandwich boards" announcing events and marketing commercial uses.
There should be no fence around the garden space.
People should flow through the landscaping, so that it doesn't create blockages.
There is a practical need for loading spaces for uses and there are agreements and designated places for this that must be taken into account.
Signage is the key to an identity for the BCA.
There might be a physical connection between the triangle plaza and the courtyard for people to see/pass through.
There should be an interactive kinetic sculpture that is solar or wind powered that is in the volume of space above the triangular plaza, does not use up lots of ground level space, and may not be permanent.
Move the kiosk to the corner of Berkeley and Tremont Street.
The utilitarian function of the alley/courtyard is essential to preserve, as it allows for fire egress, access to theaters and the ballet, parking for staff, and site of trash removal.
Create opportunity for year round use of space with covered areas, greenhouse type atriums and heated sidewalks, so BCA activities could occur outside in the public realm. This could be an income generating opportunity as it could be rented for meetings, functions etc. (the Aquariums' tent model) as well as for workshops, installations etc. (the Bushnell model).
Use lighting/projection to advertise what is here and to enliven facade and animate space. Increase power supply on plaza to support new uses and create sustainable lighting maintenance plan.
Revisit earlier plan to close Clarendon between Warren and Tremont to create pedestrian space, street market, artists work space.
Redesign can not add to existing parking and pedestrian hazards—Ballet moms, Hamersley's deliveries, valet parking etc.

Season-Specific Comments and Suggestions

Winter

The surfaces should be non-slippery.
The entrances should have protection from the weather.
Programming for the holidays should be considered.
The space should look attractive even when it is too cold to be used.
Heated outdoor spaces could be provided.
A trolley tour could depart from the site.
A digital/video/audio installation could be placed on the building facade.
There should be fire.
There could be interactive art pieces.
An uncovered winter garden could create cold-weather uses for the space.
There should be tree lights.
There should be a steam fountain.
There should be places for cigarette butts.
There should be tourism for arts.
The space should have an educational mission.
Provide a steam sculpture.
Provide for ice sculpture.
Winter is the season for indoor events—make sure that the entrances are bright, well lit, inviting.
The outdoor areas need to provide for small clusters of arriving patrons.
Provide a place for cigarette butts.
Commit to snow management (get rid of it).
Convey a sense of invitation and warmth.
This should be a great First Night and Christmas event space.
Accommodate special winter events (balls, temporary canopy in front of Cyclorama for special events, etc.).
Make sure that plantings/landscaping look good in the winter.
Provide fun lighting that sparkles.

Spring

A space for planting could bring the community together. A possibility of planting workshops should be considered.
There could be space for an open-air market.
House and garden tours could depart from the site.
There could be a sculpture garden.
There could be book readings.
The space should be a civic destination.
There should be an atrium cover in the courtyard.
There is opportunity for outdoor space to penetrate the building.
There should be play space for children.
Take advantage of the warm microclimate to provide for sunny spot seating.
Celebrate blooming flowers.

Summer

An open-air market could be held on various days.
Vendors with pushcarts could use the space.
There should be plantings to provide shade.
There should be space for performances, which can spill-over from the inside.
There should be space for performances.
The space should accommodate outdoor concerts.
This can be a space for evening meetings.
A craft fair could be held here.
There could be projections onto the building.
This space could accommodate evening parties.
A drop-in art class for kids could be held.
Accessible green spaces should be integrated.
There should be a wider range of price-choices for outdoor dining.
People should be comfortable and able sit for a long time.
There should be lots of places to sit.
People-watching should be accommodated.
There should be a farmer's market.
Provide a small dance floor for outdoor dancing.
Provide places for vendors—particularly for ice cream!
Provide plenty of shade around seating areas.
Provide a fountain at the corner of Berkeley and Tremont Streets (all seasons except winter).

Fall

Open studios can spill-over into the spaces outdoors.
There should be space for Halloween activities such as pumpkin carving.
Fall plantings should enhance the visual quality of the space.
A farmers market should be held.
There should be an information center for the open studios.
There should be teen-focused temporary activities or spaces.
There should be outdoor performances and a space for artists to interact with the community.