For too long, Fort Point Channel has been the barrier to a pleasant pedestrian and bicycle passage from Downtown to South Boston. Pivot Point Bridge creates a safe, generous, partially-covered and multi-modal thoroughfare for commuters, weekend users, and visitors throughout the year. Giving a nod to the original operation of the bridge, the swing will be pivoted and fixed in place at an angle, the center barrel of the bridge now shifting to connect to an adjacent lane. Two lanes will be open permanently for pedestrian and bicycle thru-traffic, with the option of one becoming a light-rail line in the future as the Seaport district develops. One bay of the Pratt truss superstructure will be rated for traffic loads, allowing food trucks and entertainment vehicles access for temporary festivals to be held mid-channel.
The entire structure will be raised eight feet and fixed in place, allowing watercraft to pass underneath. The terraced ramping approaches from street level up to the new bridge level at each end of the bridge become outdoor parks and gathering places, incorporating linear planting and diverse seating, and are natural crossroads of the main path and its' junction with the Harborwalk. Raising the entire bridge also allows for the continuation of the Harborwalk beside the seawall on deployable floating docks at the water level.
The shape of the original draw fender will become the outline of public docks which will be tethered on deployable floating docks, anticipating rising waters. The South/Channel side features a sundeck with a Toe Dip Pool and individual or small group spaces; the North/Harbor side is dedicated to outdoor community space and the Bridge Tenders' house. Restored to its original footprint and rehabilitated, the Tenders' House will be adaptively reused by a self-sustaining local restaurant or café.
The crowning jewel is the Garden Roof Deck, an outdoor park above the center portion of the bridge. This space will serve as an authentic display space for historic and cultural exhibits, a meeting point, a viewing platform for sweeping vistas of the harbor and skyline, and as a city retreat into nature.
As the welcoming Gateway to Fort Point Channel, the Bridge reaches out with sweeping ramps toward the water in both directions, as if to embrace the Harbor and Channel. Stylistically, the triangulation of the preserved bridge structure will be offset by a curved and circular motif reflected in the disc-shaped PV-powered lighting, curved granite and wood seating along the circulation spine, and the curving ramps sweeping the visitor from the bridge down to the dock level. Ideologically, Pivot Point Bridge emphasizes a diversity of experiences, flexible uses, adaptability, and inclusivity for Boston's future while honoring its' industrial past.
Team Members:
PCA
Emeline Gaujac
Erika Deroche
Rob Krauszer
Hing Chung Fung
Steve Bryson
Chris Baker-Albertz
It would provide a unique experience to create a restaurant/club on a refurbished structure of the northern avenue bridge. Using the old bridgekeeper house as the kitchen and apply floating flotillas around that structure.
Guests can have sunshine for most parts of the day since there are no buildings blocking the sunshine during the summer.
Team Members:
Intercontinental Boston
Marcel Clobus, Front office
Northern Avenue Bridge is a symbol of Boston's growth and development in the 20th and 21st centuries. The revolutionary foundations that built our city flow through the fabric of everything we do and the Boston Harbor is a constant reminder of the actions Bostonians took to declare their freedom and independence. The Northern Avenue Bridge sits above that history. It is a testament to the city Boston became 125 years after the American Revolution. Boston became a city of hard-working, blue-collar immigrants. These people, like many immigrants to our city today, were the laborers who built a modern city.
They were the bricklayers and the machinists. They were the bridge operators and the metal-smiths. As the 20th century progressed, Boston became a test case for urbanization, trying to bridge the traditional downtown atmosphere with the demands of modernity. This is the Northern Avenue Bridge. Like some parts of Boston, the bridge needs some TLC in order to bridge that gap and unite all Bostonians from different neighborhoods. By examining our history, only then can we understand our future. Let the Northern Avenue Bridge be our metaphor.
The Northern Avenue Bridge is made of steel, sitting on granite and concrete. This is a strong base of support. Like our city, the Northern Avenue Bridge is well founded. The steel structure, made by the hands of laboring men, reminds us that immigrants, who were not always welcomed, built our city's modern foundation. We must honor their contribution as well as the contribution of those revolutionary thinkers who set our city up with a solid foundation. The Northern Avenue Bridge should continue to exhibit that strong base and the steel frame to remind us where we have come from. As Boston grows in the 21st century, the glass towers rise over the 17th century meeting houses. As the Northern Avenue Bridge rises from its base, we should honor where our city is headed. The industries that drive the 21st century, finance, technology, engineering, are often housed in glass buildings. The Northern Avenue Bridge should honor that change, by encapsulating the upper parts of the bridge in glass. Whether that is a covered walking area for pedestrians that allows them to look up at the night sky or an artists' interpretation of a shattered glass ceiling, we need something to remind all Bostonians of where we have been and where we are all capable of going.
The Northern Avenue Bridge opens to let goods enter and exit the city. Is this not like the city itself? Boston is well-known for being home to the Irish and Italian immigrants, but let us not forget that Boston also welcomed in Free African-Americans, Syrians, Chinese, Eastern European Jews, Salvadorans, Haitians, Dominicans, Colombians, and so many more. The opening of the bridge should symbolize the opening of opportunity. It would be fitting if as the bridge was opened it revealed new messages, only seen when the bridge was open. A quote from an inspirational immigrant to Boston like Mary Antin, "Did I not say it was my palace? Mine, because I was a citizen; mine, though I was born an alien" or, perhaps we take ourselves less seriously and acknowledge the artistry of Allston's Aerosmith, "Dream on. Dream on. Dream until your dreams come true."
Finally, the Northern Avenue Bridge is dynamic. We can discuss its concrete and granite base or its steel frame, or its ability to swing opened and closed, and we must acknowledge that the bridge is made for many types of travelers. The Northern Avenue Bridge should keep its current skeleton, albeit reinforced, but should adapt to allow constant unfettered, pedestrian access. Pedestrian access should include wide lanes for walking and separate lanes for biking. The former plant installations should be maintained and designed to reflect native flora and fauna of Boston. The bridge should be lined with art by local artisans and include quotations from famous Bostonians, including representative numbers of women, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanic-Americans (perhaps in chronological order lining into and out of the downtown). Boston needs the bridge to come alive. The Northern Avenue Bridge represents Boston's past and with proper acknowledgement of where we have been, only then can we understand where we are going.
We can preserve Boston's iconic landmarks while promoting a green future. Sustainability and historic preservation go hand-in-hand. The rustic charm of the rebuilt industrial era bridge will now be set within a green canopy.
Multi-Use Trail
The multi-use pedestrian and cycling trail would run down the current center lane of the bridge (once used by cars). A ramp would bring the Harborwalk to bridge level and be fully-handicap accessible.
There would be towering vertical hydroponic greens on either side in the main exterior lanes. Greenery — as viewed from both near and far — would dominate the horizon above the water between the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway and United States Courthouse HarborPark. The bridge would simultaneously be a destination and world showcase — while encouraging fitness among residents commuting by foot or wheel.
Feeding World's Hungry
The Northern Avenue Bridge Vertical Farm would demonstrate to the world a method of feeding our cities into the next Century. Revenues could be generated through the sale of produce to local restaurants, grocery stores and local farmers markets. The installation would inspire people to go home and start horizontal and vertical hydroponic — or aquaponic — systems of their own. Hydroponic farming uses no soil and up to 95% less water. Vertical farming may prove key to sustainability and climate change resilience. The bridge area would be a foodie mecca — with a nearby café selling greens, as popular as your favorite coffee shop on the High Line in NYC.
Aquaponics
Aquaponics will serve to highlight the area's waterfront and fishing legacy. Aquaponics is a cross between aquaculture raising fish and hydroponics, which is raising crops without soil. The exploration of the various developing technologies would make the bridge a fitting portal between the Innovation District and the Financial District.
Colored LED Lights
Colored LED lights have already been used to beautiful effect on the bridge. In a happy coincidence, downward-facing colored LED lights are also the most effective in growing. Produce could be grown year-round upon enclosure. In past year LED cost dropped 85% — making the lights accessible and profitable to indoor farms.
Solar Power
Similarly, the cost of power generated by solar has dropped to the point where, in much of the world, it is now close to coal or gas generated electricity. The more solar power increases, the cheaper it becomes to manufacture solar panels. Solar panels now can be made from lightweight, flexible materials.
Four-Season Gathering Place
The central barrel of the bridge would be available as a gathering place for all manner of community events. Public art would line the sides of the central barrel of the bridge containing the multi-use trail.
Industrial Rustic Charm
The dramatic experience of the bridge's engineering would be enhanced by the contrast with the green produce. Interpretive signage about both the history and sustainability could be placed in the center multi-use walkway and on the cantilevered pedestrian sidewalks along the outside.
Navigability Requirements
The bridge could be fixed and elevated so as to meet both Coast Guard navigation requirements and projected changes in sea level over the life of the bridge. It instead could remain in an "open" position with a new walkway crossing the water at the height required for navigability. Or alternatively, it could be built so as to swing to an open position as the old bridge once did.
Conclusion
At the middle of last Century, General Electric was the builder of the locomotives of the Union Freight Railroad that carried produce across the bridge. Fittingly, now commuters would be able to walk and bicycle to work at General Electric headquarters while seeing their produce grown locally. This renovation would position Boston to be a beacon of the world's future. It is time to bring this good idea to light.
New bridge will feature eight restaurants enclosed in glass with glass balconies, will re-use the beams from the old bridge, and be Boston's Ponte Vecchio.
A pedestrian Bridge of Glass - either created by Chihuly and modeled after his bridge in Tacoma or built by Boston glass artists and architects - would immediately become a beautiful tourist attraction and a boon to Boston residents seeking to stroll the Waterfront and Seaport District. Boston should replace the Northern Avenue Bridge with this kind of pedestrian Bridge of Glass that would once again make the area friendlier to people who live in the area and visitors from around the world - without increasing vehicular traffic. Among the types of glass that could be used could be sea glass found along Massachusetts shores. Colored glass would be dazzling in sunlight and could be lit at night for a spectacular display. The bridge should be an elegant and sleek span, just high enough to allow for ships to pass under.
An interactive educational experience is what we will bring to the Northern Avenue Bridge. A family activity. An activity for people of all ages. This will happen in the form of a walking maze. The maze will be constructed of tarps strung between vertical poles. The tarps would be blank or themed to match holidays or events. Red white and blue tarps for July 4th, Black and orange for Halloween, Green and Blue for earth day, etc. The tarps would have information and riddles printed on them. The tarps could be painted by local artists (e.g. Fort Point Channel) to promote that area. The tarps could advertise local venues such as the Children's Museum the ICA or the Tea party. The tarps could be themed for corporate events, team building or just corporate outings.
School children could paint tarps in their classrooms which could then be installed in the maze so the children could find them and see them. Tarps could tie into the Harbor islands, the Freedom Trail, Charlestown Navy Yard or other local sites providing history and information. There will be several hundred tarps so multiple themes could be presented simultaneously.
Unlike a corn maze or hedge maze our maze could be changed on a regular basis (daily or weekly) by changing the tarp layout, making it more enticing to come back often. The difficulty of the maze could be changed for special occasions or parties. There could be races through the maze. Awards could be given for fastest times.
The maze would generate income for the city for maintenance of the bridge. A conservative estimate of attendance is 250,000 people per year (Children's Museum had 511,000 according to the BBJ in 2014). A portion of ticket sales would be paid to the city.
There are obstacles and destinations within the maze. Small simple obstacles to make it more fun for small children, destinations to make it interesting for older children and adults. A destination would be a small area within the maze that might have all the tarps themed one way to present a particular topic. To make the maze more of a challenge one person or teams would have to find certain items or areas, possibly in particular order.
In addition to the tarps the bridge could be adorned with Flags and banners or greened with plants and vines. Renderings have been done to show an adorned bridge.
Both fixed sides of the bridge would be incorporated as well as the center. Whether the bridge be fixed in an open position or made workable we could apply the Maze. If open, one side of the bridge could have a fixed new bridge at the same level as the two sections being joined to get to the center and the other side would have an operable structure that could be moved out of the way to allow water traffic
A pedestrian bridge, unlike a bridge for vehicles, would require less structural work and a simpler surface.
A pedestrian path would be available alongside the maze (possibly the current sidewalk) on the harbor side to allow pedestrian access to Downtown or South Boston in either direction or to return to the beginning of the maze
A maze would be a destination that would be a primary reason that people from near and far would come to visit the city of Boston and the Seaport area. It would enhance the experience of families visiting the city for tourism or conventions. It would drive additional business to the area. People would eat or shop before or after navigating the maze. A maze would be fun
To summarize
A maze would save the bridge
A maze would raise money to maintain the bridge
A maze would bring hundreds of thousands of people to the Seaport and City
A maze would tie venues, events and organizations together
A maze would be fun
Come get LOST in Boston
A Maze n AMERICA
Team Members:
Bruce Luchner
Boston Northern Avenue Bridge Ideas Competition @northernavebridge - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
