HARBOR PARK PAVILION

Concept | 2005

The Harbor Park Pavilion presents a unique opportunity to not only inform, orientate, and accommodate visitors, but also to manifest the dynamic history of the Boston Harbor. Unlike other shore lines, the Boston Harbor shore line has shifted outwards over the past 400 years, according to natural evolution, but moreover, to historic demands and opportunities, amounting to a noteworthy feat of engineering. The landfill that has filled in the harbor has changed the face and character of the corridor, and its view of the Boston Harbor Islands and proximity to the city will always manifest its position as world Harbor.  This rich historic progression, the dynamic spirit of the Boston Harbor, has to be preserved and made accessible for generations to come.

Our proposal will make this historical progression visible by creating a “fluid park” where water once carried ships to the city of Boston. Taking a cue from the flowing masterplan, our proposed fluid landscape will gently capture the softness of the ocean, while the pavilions will direct and re-direct the blue-green stream. The Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion, formed by a complex overlay of the 34 islands in the Boston Harbor, will resemble the 35th island-rock, floating in the blue-green park, much like it would have in 1630.

While the rock represents the unchanged purity of the 34 islands, its surrounding park celebrates nature re-claiming its territories. The paths throughout the park, based on flowing water patterns, will bring visitors to the pavilion, which will not only celebrate Boston’s deep relationship with the Islands, but elevate the new development into an understanding of Boston’s history as a major Harbor.

Visible from a wide variety of sites, the pavilion will attract multiple visitors, curious to learn the history of the Harbor. The Pavilion will be built as a perforated, and thus translucent structure, using materials and systems of the 21st century. Linking the historic core of Boston to the islands beyond via today’s best technology, the pavilion will provide visitor information and education of the Harbor’s history and its 34 islands through video and cellular devices that can be accessed at all times. Through the visitor services and information technologies integrated in the pavilion’s design, it will direct Harbor Islands visitors to the ferryboats and provide directions to many other destinations.

The pavilion design is based on a careful assessment of its proposed structure and has been engineered to be built for the given budget of $3million. The pavilion will be built as an independent light-weight structure, cladded with a perforated skin, allowing visibility and transparency during the day, while transforming into a glowing, shimmering rock by night, a large-scale light fixture for the city and harbor beyond.

Embedded into the nearby historic context of the site, the pavilion will provide a natural connection to its history and the islands, a link between the past and the future.