A web-based tool helped designers and clients navigate regulatory complexity for a large project on the Boston waterfront.
Channelside, a mixed-use development KPF designed on Boston’s waterfront, was subject to Chapter 91 and the city’s Municipal Harbor Plan, which prescribed a certain massing for any future development on the site. Unfortunately, arranging the project’s volume in this way would have a deleterious effect on the urban experience, creating additional shadows on the public outdoor amenities the project would deliver, and robbing the development of open space at ground level.
KPF built a web tool that allowed users—including technical consultants, the project team, and members of the public—to explore how our design interacted with local solar patterns to see how different configurations of the project’s massing would impact the urban environment. The tool shows in a clear and digestible way that KPF’s massing plan, which shrinks the residential building’s footprint by adding height, reduces the total amount of shadow caused by the development over the course of the year, while boosting public benefits, including more ground-level park space. By providing the tool on portable tablets at public meetings, the team was able to share their insights with community members and build public support and approval for the project.
