The Center for Music
Technology unifies a busy, broken corner in the Back Bay of Boston. The infill
project establishes a continuity to Bolyston Street, while addressing
pedestrian circulation issues on Massachusetts Ave. The corner plaza offers
chance interaction and performance areas for the community that generates an
active hardscape. public program on the first level such as retail and dining
reinforce the Bolyston axis. The public rise to the second level where the 200
seat performance hall offers internal and external performances that enriches
the experience.
The two education towers are
lifted up from the public zone to provide privacy and focus for the production,
editing, and practicing of music. The towers twist and shift to create interior
and exterior break out spaces. This procedure of twisting and shifting breaks
the towers and creates an atrium space for chance encounters and interactions.
The program of the towers are
enclosed in a series of trussed frame boxes. column lines run the height of the
towers while the cross bracing of the frames provide stability and strength.
There are two cores that provide vertical circulation as well as services and
mechanical. each level is serviced separately according to the demands. the
towers are cladded with a perforated metal mesh system that changes according
to the use of each box. the solid sound stages and mixing studios have one
panel system that differs from the more open panel at the education boxes.
These panels have different perforations that enable the users to view out to
the urban environment.
The center provides Berklee
with much needed space while unifying two busy streets in Boston. The new
design will create different experiences for the public and help ground them in
their surroundings and make them aware of the urban environment around them.