Post office square

The post for today is about Post office square. I am excited to share this with you because it is an awesome space in boston, right in the middle of the financial district. 

Originally an above ground parking garage, post office square was seriously lacking in the appeal of the area. Then, plans were made to transform the space and put the parking underground. The result is a lovely park that is considerate of the area and transformative in use. Below is a sketch of the section of the park: 

 

Here is a sketch of the access to the underground parking. Notice the trees and greens that form a barrier to make the entrance disappear within the rest of the space:

The symmetry of the space was also intriguing to me. Although there was symmetry, it seemed to be symmetrical with the surrounding areas. The symmetry was with the surrounding buildings, and not necessarily just with itself. This was another way to relate the surroundings. The picture below describes an extent of the symmetry found on the site:

 

Another interesting element about the space is that there are 3 greenhouses that seem to pop up out of the ground and they all serve a different function. One is direct access to the parking garage below via escalators and stairs, another is an elevator down to the parking, and the last one is a cafe that has sandwiches and coffee and an outdoor seating area. Below is a detail of the structure and how even the structure incorporates human interaction with built in benches:

On the edge of one side is a long strip of pergola that extends into the sidewalk and invites visitors. This simple gesture asks people to come and use the space and makes it feel more inviting. Vines that wrap around the structure give more of a garden feeling to the space. One interesting fact is that all of the trees are labeled and the space is maintained by Harvard (who also maintains the Arnold Arboretum). 

Overall, post office square does an excellent job of incorporating the surrounding areas with the site and creating an inviting and open park space in the middle of the city.