73 Everett Street
73 Everett Street
East Boston, MA 02128
For my social space proposal in East Boston, I focused on creating an environment that encourages intimate gatherings for the local community through experimenting with negative spaces between the curvatures and different levels of illumination within.
From an initial glance, the building maintains much of its predecessor’s design elements through its rectangular facade; the circular chimney tucked inside the porch is now exposed, and its contrasting element entices visitors to step inside. These two opposing geometric dynamics continue after entering the porch, where the side benches integrated with the wall provide a sense of intimate gathering and hint at design elements throughout the rest of the building. The material difference from the wall’s raked stucco pattern additionally keeps a vertical focus on the highly horizontal nature of the building.
Approaching the main entrance, the visitors are invited by the café counter; its convex shape, along with the adjacent wall, provides an expanding experience and naturally guides the visitors to delve deeper into the space. The benches are integrated with the wall, providing a nook-like seating area, and the relative darkness of the space encourages intimate 1-on-1 conversations.
Along with spatial contraction, the contrasting light near the opposing wall captivates the visitor’s attention to move forward, where the new location presents them with multiple vantage points. The light source is identifiable from the building’s prominent west facade of the public area, offering an intimate nook-like roundtable environment that encourages a public congregation like the front porch furnace. Community members can easily host dinners and private events in a venue with inviting natural light. The bathroom is created as a reaction to the two space’s intersections and simultaneously offers convenience and privacy.
Facing the stairway, the wall curves narrowly to block sunlight while the raked stucco embellishment and the wide staircase imbue mystery and perpetuate solemnity, and the glimpse of light at the top sparks curiosity. Climbing up the stairs, the visitors ultimately face a window pane that leads them to the second floor. Two areas – an indoor music practice room with a grand piano and an outdoor garden with a tree – are mirror images joined together by a continuous s-shaped window barrier. Both objects stand prominently in the space and highlight each area’s main purpose. The garden provides a natural backlight for performances, if the artist so chooses, and provides a natural seating orientation for potential audience members.
Software: Rhino 7, Adobe Photohsop
Design Discovery (Architecture)
Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD)
Summer 2022
Advisor: Luke Warren