#CambridgeMA
An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about #CambridgeMA
Project • By Elkus Manfredi Architects • Offices
40 Thorndike
40 Thorndike transforms a 22-story Brutalist tower, originally designed as a courthouse and jail, into a transparent, mixed-use civic asset that reconnects architecture with community.
Originally conceived as a solid concrete block with narrow window slots and an elevated entrance, the building presented an imposing, impermeable edge to its residential neighborhood. In response to community engagement, the top two floors were removed and strategic notches were carved into the podium, reducing the building’s perceived mass and introducing a more human scale at street level. The façade was reclad with a high-performance, panelized system of glass curtain wall and terra cotta panels, replacing opacity with transparency, daylight,... More
Project • By Paul Lukez Architecture • Urban Green Spaces
Charles River Island
Proposal
This project envisions replacing the Massachusetts Avenue (Harvard) Bridge with a new structure spanning the Charles River Basin. At its center, a tear-shaped island provides vibrant public spaces, gardens, and pathways for recreation and gathering. The bridge’s sculptural form rises gently 15 feet above the current span, allowing greater clearance for rowing and boating below. Its twin ribbon-like lanes expand at mid-span, framing views of the island and city beyond. Together, the bridge and island establish a new civic gateway linking MIT to Boston’s Back Bay.
Context & Inspiration
Boston’s waterfront has long been shaped by transformative engineering and design. The existing 19th-century bridge, while fu... More