Precedent Analysis

The Renzo Piano Building Workshop is Piano’s architecture office/laboratory of research in Genoa, Italy. The Workshop was built around 1989-1991, it works in conjunction with UNESCO in the research of several construction materials such as indigenous trees, stone, brick and the research of new materials. In addition there is research of lightning, insulation and acoustic techniques.
The building is located on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea blending with the slope and looking more like a big greenhouse. The building is composed of a system of glass terraces gradually sloping towards the sea. The roof is composed of photosensitive skylights regulating the amount of natural light inside of the building. The structure consists of laminated-lumber beams laid over thin steel. The wall facing the hill is built of indigenous stone and earth construction. The rest of the building’s skin is primarily glass, to take advantage of the natural sun light. From the information I could find, I can tell that Piano raised the floor plates probabaly to used them for heating/cooling purposes.

Environment & Climate

The north side of the site is bound by the train tracks and the highway as the elevation drops. On the south side, just across Boylston St., a long string of commercial buildings cast shadows affecting the site the most during the late afternoon. This seems to be most prominent from December through June due to the azimuth angle of the sun at this time. (See Sun Shading Chart) If taking advantage of the sun’s radiation is a strategy in the design, building higher up would be advisable.
The temperature in Boston varies with the change of season, although it does not change to an extreme. It is fairly constant, with a year’s average temp. of 52° F. In Winter the temperature ranges between 25° and 45° F. In Spring the range is 40° to 60° F. In Summer the temperature stays comfortable at 65° to 75° F. In Autumn the temperature begins to drop again at 45° to 65° F.
The total precipitation for the average year is around 42.9” with the highest amount peaking in November at 4.4” and the lowest amount in July at 2.8”. This again is a fairly constant climatic influence, there does not seem to be any extreme variance. This is also true with the wind in this area. The average wind speed is 13 MPH, with a high of 16 MPH in January through March, and a low of 11 MPH in July and August. According to the wind charts the prevailing winds come from the northwest, with the least amount of wind coming from the southeast. The attached chart clearly depicts this occurrence.

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