Project 2: Pier 5 Boston

For this project, I elected a site in the Navy Yard in Charlestown. The pier was originally constructed in the early 1900's and then amplified to its current size of 81,250 square feet during the war effort in WWII.

When the Navy Yard stopped operating as an active ship building base in 1974, it opened up for development and now is a combination of residential and commercial buildings with one section remaining the home of the USS Constitution and a Naval museum.

Since that time, the wharf has fallen into a state of disrepair and has been fenced off due to structural deficiencies.

After looking into the demographics of the area, public amenities, and what a potentially sustainable site would look like, I proposed a recreation/athletic facility for the pier. It would not obstruct the views of the buildings behind and would be a sorely needed amenity as there are a lack of athletic facilities (basketball and tennis courts specifically) in the area.

The building would feature two floors complete with locker room and lounge facilities. On the roof of the second floor will be solar panels to power the building while the lower roof will be a green roof to help collect any run off from the building. Additionally, this roof will drain to a fenestration channel that will collect water the length of the site helping to clean any impurities from the water.

In order to reach the goal of net zero, a further strategy to explore is the use of an emerging technology, "sea water air conditioning" that harnesses the cool temperatures of the abundant surrounding water and uses it to cool the building.