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Fan Pier Park

Fan Pier Park is one of many projects RBA has been involved with at Fan Pier. The project site is a two-acre, publicly accessible waterfront park being constructed in two phases.

Capitalizing on the dramatic views of Boston and its Harbor is a driving design theme of the Park. Angled granite terraces step down from a central lawn, celebrating the waterfront ‘theater’ of the active harbor. The orientation of each terrace frames a slightly different view of the skyline and the water, with shade trees to provide a sense of enclosure while preserving open sightlines.

The Tidal Well is the centerpiece of Fan Pier Park and is sited on axis with Fan Pier Boulevard. The Well’s plaza paving pattern stands witness to the site’s history as a harbor slip. Working with marine engineers, dozens of steel piles were driven to construct a durable bulwark foundation resistant to wave action and coastal erosion. Visitors can track the harbor’s hourly tidal action on the Well’s stepped granite walls, and a weir fountain cascades ocean water over the stone blocks.

A custom-designed bridge extends the Boston Harborwalk over the Tidal Well. A few feet down the Harborwalk, an intimately scaled seating node centers around a fire feature. The feature’s open flame creates a warmly lit evening destination within the Park and extends the Park’s comfortable use in the spring and fall.

Fan Pier Park allows both expansive and contemplative moments—capitalizing on dramatic harbor views while also offering comfortable places to sit and relax. Fan Pier Park preserves public open space for residents, tourists, and office workers in a fast-changing and densifying area of the city.

Client - The Fallon Company
Collaborators - Lam Partners; Tree Specialists; Pine & Swallow Environmental
Photographer - Raj Das; Biruk Belay
Boston, Massachusetts
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