03 · Boston Chinatown Civic Center
SCUPTURE
SCULPTURE proposes a civic center at the edge of Boston's Chinatown, where major streets and transportation infrastructure interrupt the continuity of the public realm. Responding to the curved alignment of an underground tunnel, the project transforms a spatial constraint into a folded, walkable roof that extends the public ground upward.
Beneath this elevated surface, an atrium, community hall, and flexible gathering spaces accommodate civic and cultural activities. Rather than treating architecture as an isolated object, the proposal reimagines the building as an inhabitable urban landscape, creating opportunities for movement, encounter, and public occupation.
- Location
- 109–153 Lincoln Street, Boston, MA
- Year
- Spring 2024
- Role
- Individual Work
- Instructor
- Angela Pang, Harvard GSD
Urban Threshold & Site Strategy
Situated between Chinatown, the Financial District, and South Station, the site occupies a fragmented urban fabric shaped by infrastructure and contrasting street geometries. The curved alignment of a subterranean tunnel interrupts the surrounding rectilinear grid, becoming a generative force in the building's design.
By interpreting this constraint through a continuous folding of the ground, the project negotiates between existing urban conditions and establishes a new shared public surface, connecting the building to surrounding pedestrian routes and nearby greenways.
Spatial Sequence & Circulation
Civic programs are distributed across interconnected levels, accommodating different degrees of openness, gathering, and privacy.
- Public Atrium: A central, daylight-filled volume organizes entrances, circulation, and informal gathering, connecting the building's interior spaces.
- Community Spaces: A flexible hall and workshop rooms occupy the sheltered areas beneath the folded roof, supporting meetings, cultural events, and neighborhood activities.
- Vertical Connections: A mezzanine overlooks the atrium, establishing visual relationships between levels, while a secondary entrance provides an alternative circulation route.
Inhabiting the Fold
The continuous roof rises from the ground to become an accessible public landscape, creating a variety of spatial conditions beneath its surface.
Through changes in height, curvature, and enclosure, the folded geometry shapes the building's sectional experience. Taller volumes accommodate collective activities around the atrium, while lower spaces provide more intimate environments for workshops and community programs.
The ground becomes the building, and the building becomes an urban sculpture to be inhabited.