Photography: Boston: Park Street Church

Thesis: Final Crit

Thesis Statement: Landmarks and historic sites throughout the city have become cliche’ and kitschy, overlooked and then delegated to the realm of tourism. The people, who work and live in the city, are in turn, disassociated from these spaces because they do not engage these sites in their everyday activities. By focusing on one of these detached environments, this thesis will respond to issues of memory, perception, and the potential for the human activity of local cultures to inspire new and vibrant relationships within these neglected spaces of the city. A series of interventions will be developed that link and connect the tourist aspect of these environments with the everyday activities of the city’s inhabitants. The existing infrastructure that links these zones will also be redeveloped, rethought, and modernized. These associations will demonstrate how memory and the sense of place can provide the city’s inhabitants with a strong connection to the site.

Thesis: Finals: Site Plan

Thesis: Model: Process: Streets

Progress of my 1"=100' site model of Boston's Freedom Trail.

I scored the sidewalks, and cut the streets out on the laser cutter.  Each of the 8 pieces took about 16 minutes to cut on the laser cutter.

Some pieces of the model. Each piece is 24x33.

More pieces before assembly.

Pinned up version of site and site analysis.  These photos were taken on my phone.  I will take better photos to show the detail of the model later.  I marked the sites on the Freedom Trail, T-Stations, and the specific sites on the Freedom Trail that I want to renovate.

Thesis: Program: Analysis

 

  

  

  

  

  

 

Thesis: User Groups: More Diagrams

 

This diagram indicates how I want to lift the Freedom Trail up to create seating spaces, and shelter, as well as "bend/ fold" the trail into the ground to excavate usable program space.

Thesis: Site: History

 

Above is a diagram showing the time-line of what occured on the Freedom Trail in relation to the physical Freedom Trail path.

Thesis: User Groups: Diagrams

Below is a plan diagram representing the integration of local user groups into the Freedom Trail.

 

Below is a section diagram showing the typical situation of user groups on and around the Freedom Trail.

 

Below is a diagram showing the needs of tourists versus locals.

 

 Below are three diagrams showing how the Freedom Trail can be transformed into a spatial idea.

Thesis: Site: Model: Process

 

Process of working on my conceptual sewn topography model.  The thicker red line indicates the Freedom Trail, the other colored threads represent the subway lines, and the black stitches represent the many intertwining streets of Boston.  The model is about 3 feet long by 1.5 feet wide.

Thesis: Site: Analysis: Figure Ground

Below are some diagrams of the Freedom Trail for Urban Cliche' to Civic Engagement: Accessibility and Diversity on the Freedom Trail.

Above is a diagram reflecting the waterfront edge properties in downtown Boston.

Above is a diagram reflecting the buildings directly adjacent to the Freedom Trail.

Above is a diagram reflecting the buildings not immediately adjacent to the Freedom Trail (typically one street away from the Trail).

Above is a diagram reflecting both the directly adjacent buildings and the secondary adjacent ones (blue represents the secondary adjacent buildings).

Above is a diagram reflecting both the directly adjacent buildings and the secondary adjacent ones.  This diagram shows the same information as the previous one, yet this one shows the two conditions as a mass of buildings.

Above is a diagram I am currently working on showing buildings adjacent to green spaces within the urban environment.

Thesis: Final Document Book

If you follow the link below you can see my Thesis Document that I submitted last week.  The document contains site analysis, research essay, program and methodology statements, case studies, and my prospectus. 

The document takes a while to load completely for reasons unknown to me...

Alexandra Dupnik's Thesis Book

Thesis: Site: Analysis: Figure Ground: Walking Times

Thesis: Site: Analysis: Site Specific Locations

Possible locations for intervention. These sites appear to be neglected by first intuition. Further analysis will be needed to determine if these sites are truly neglected.

Thesis: Site: Site Analysis: Points of Interest

Light Pink: Artist Lofts
Red: Freedom Trail
Orange: Steps On and Off the Trail Suggested by The Freedom Trail
Blue: Harbor Walk
Green: Black Heritage Trail
Yellow: Other Tourist Destinations
Purple: Local Cultural Destinations
Magenta: Sites Mutual for Locals and Tourists


Elevation: 58ft

Elevation: 54ft

Elevation: 49ft

Elevation: 26ft

Thesis: Site: Analysis: Figure Ground: Zoning

Scale: 1:1000
Scale: 1:2000
Scale: 1:3000

Thesis: Site: Analysis: Footprint Outlines

Scale: 1:1000
Scale: 1:2000
Scale: 1:3000