Fall 2017
Boston City Hall: Structural Study
Building upon the recent social and economic rebirth of Boston after decades of decline, a competition was launched in 1962 for the design of City Hall. The competition allowed architects to explore what a democratic space could be while crafting an icon for the emerging metropolis. The commission was awarded to Gerhard Kallmann and Michael McKinnell who sought to connote democracy with optimism and challenge traditional notions of municipal space. The design intent of an open and transparent space was highly dependent upon a fairly demanding structural system, a novel system that combined cast-in-place columns with precast virendeel trusses and fins.
Decades later, City Hall is a polarizing symbol in the city’s imagination. This study pares down the construction logic of Boston City Hall in order to understand what is structurally “necessary” with respect to future architectural modifications.
