Section Model | Interior View of Section Model
Site Location: Boston, MA
Looking up at Tessellated Roof System
Section Model | Interior View of Section Model
INVASIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
Harvard Graduate School of Design
M.Arch. 1 Thesis | Fall 2016
Thesis Advisor: Preston Scott Cohen
“Invasive Infrastructure” examines the current state of Boston’s South Station. A century ago it was the world’s busiest train station, handling 38 million passengers annually. At the time of this Thesis, it is the site of a real estate venture by one of China’s leading real estate developers. However, this is not the first time South Station has been subject to redevelopment. Its history includes economic downturns, partial demolition, multiple owner changes, and a multitude of air rights proposals.
If development is to take place, we should critically take into account all aspects of rail, this includes investigating technological advancements and their potential. This thesis analyzes the historically separate spaces of the railway lobby and the railway platform. Improved technology has allowed for cleaner infrastructural systems which can now become fully interiorized. Thus the train becomes an architectural element. The goal of this thesis is combine the lobby and train into a singular space.