Pelli Clarke & Partners "reshapes the skyline" with Boston South Station skyscraper
US architecture studio Pelli Clarke & Partners has completed a skyscraper clad in glass on top of a restored 1899 train station in Boston, USA, the "busiest transit hub in New England".
Boston South Station, an 1899 curved neoclassical structure designed by Boston firm Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, had had no major upgrades since restoration work in the 1980s.
Pelli Clarke & Partners maintained this original structure while adding a series of new terminals for bus and rail travel, upgrading connections between preexisting stations and constructing a concourse.
Most visible in the development is the massive skyscraper placed directly above the historic facade.
Rising 51 storeys at 690 feet tall (210 metres), the skyscraper is clad in glass curtain wall and has a primary volume with a broad, rounded edge facing the street.
This tapers towards the back, ending in a flat face that houses balconies.
Symmetrical faceted volumes rise up slightly more than halfway on either side, expanding the floor plan, with an additional thin protrusion continuing almost to the top of the main volume, as if pressed between the faceted volume and the main structure.
The skyscraper's form was "sculpted to complement the massing and scale" of the neoclassical headhouse, according to the studio, which called the addition a "historic step forward for the busiest transit hub in New England".
It continues a recent trend of doubling down on glass-clad skyscraper construction for the firm, as seen both in Chicago with its recently completed Salesforce Towers and in its completion of Mexico City's tallest skyscraper.
Pelli Clarke & Partners aimed to achieve both the maintenance of the historic facade and to reshape the skyline of the city.
"We sought to honor the station's heritage while reestablishing it as a civic centerpiece through progressive design and sustainable construction," said studio cofounder Fred Clarke.
"This redevelopment positions South Station as both a vital urban landmark and a symbol of Boston's capacity to adapt, evolve, and lead."
Central to the suturing of the new buildings was a massive arched concourse that sits directly below the skyscraper. This six-storey-tall southern entry, called the Great Space, contains three concrete domes with a diagrid pattern and 10 arches.
The exterior of the atrium was covered in corrugated concrete, intended to stand up to the weather. The underside of the domes were lined with ringed skylights to provide constant lighting in the spaces below, which circulate travellers between the different areas of the station.
These areas include a new car park that sits above the bus terminal expansion, which in turn sits above the existing train line and is part of the skyscraper's podium.
This volume connects the historic station with a preexisting bus terminal and features a glass facade and cantilevered metal overhang at the top.
A semi-enclosed space features a staircase between the podium and the stone side wall of the neoclassical building.
Further circulation was included above, with a covered walkway connecting the skyscraper with the massive bulkhead on top of the podium.
This walkway frames a landscaped park on top of the podium that serves as a sort of yard for the skyscraper, which has residential, hotel, retail and amenity portions.
"The expanded concourse is designed to give Boston the arrival experience a city of its stature deserves – welcoming, expansive, and connected to both its past and future," said studio partner Graham Banks.
"The new tower reshapes the skyline while thoughtfully complementing the surrounding urban fabric and remaining respectfully attuned to the historic headhouse it rises above."
The project began in 2020 and opens officially today.
Other recent projects to complete in Boston include the sculptural Ragon Institute by Payette.
The photography is by Jason O'Rear.
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