Ventilation Building #7

This prominent icon of urban infrastructure – specifically, a symbol of the “Big Dig” – serves as a colossal lung for the new Boston harbor tunnel. The expression of the building is a direct reflection of its mechanistic purpose, with the building divided into two primary wings: the exhaust air section of 14 fans and stacks, and the louvered supply air section with 10 fresh air fans.

Clear articulation of each elemental part and the language of their assembly lend the building its architectonic character. Concrete elements – base, stairs cores, supply ducts and exhaust stacks – represent the building’s attachment to the underground tunnel. The expressed steel frame, aluminum panel and louver system above the first floor base form a lightweight encasement for the two-levels of fan rooms. The rain screen metal panel system employs a jointless, pressure-equalization system of heavy-duty aluminum panels and framing elements to achieve a very long lasting, durable screen. Reversing the typical relationship of structure and envelope by setting the panels forward of the framing members, the rain screen system reads as a taut, pressurized skin.

Program
Ventilation building and electrical substation of 102,000 sq. ft. over five floors (two below grade), providing supply air and exhaust for the Ted Williams Tunnel.

*  Deborah Fennick, Principal Architect while with TAMS Architecture