BOSTON FOOD PARK: A SPOT THAT CONNECTS OTHER DOTS IN THE CITY

Abstract

The brief is a competition challenge by ACSA1 and sponsor by the Wood Products Council. It demands an architecture intervention at the Big Dig site with a food market as a programme generator. On top of that, it requires the competitors to look at new technological and articulation of timber as a material in an urban site.

The thesis relooks at the traditional and current food market typology whereby it is always an efficiently and radical layout space under a built-canopy. The sheltered spaces are then segmentized and tendered out to the vendors. With an extremely rich historical site and urban geographical context, there is a hunch that food could be a theme to present such heritage values in a richer way. In 1660, the current Quincy market was just next to the sea with the Long Wharfs as an unloading/loading platform for ships. However, from 1660 to 1890, the sea edge moved away from the market as land was reclaimed and the shape of Boston is constantly altered. In 1959, the Central Artery further dislocated the market and sea. Today, with the disappearance of the viaduct, the parcel offers poetic as well as conceptual opportunities to re-stitch the market and waters.

Intermix with food spaces, merchandizing areas and gallery-information nodes, each food item shall tell a tale that relates to the history and culture happenings in the city. It is a multi-tiered approach for telling Boston’s stories. Visitors from across the country and around the world will discover that the ideas, capital and creations generated by Boston. They will discover the engineering feats that have built the city from the filling of the Back Bay to the Big Dig. They will encounter the remarkable diverse populace and the tales of how they came here. (eg. The Bauhaus Movement in 1900s) Thematic galleries, trails, orientation sites and site specific installations are among the opportunities identified. In this context, the surface restoration parcels will intersect key trails, provide a new point of orientation for visitors and potentially offer sites specific interpretation. It is also a focal point for exploring the wealth of history and arts in the city -- a place that connects the dots on Boston's historical/cultural/social map.