The New MFA: Lord Norman Foster: Construction Visit

My Tectonics in Design class went to the Museum of Fine Arts here in Boston to check out the work that Lord Norman Foster and his firm are doing. It was quite remarkable to see all of this construction and have an idea as to what the final product is going to look like. If you are not familar with the project, read about it here. 

As I was walking around, talking to the project manager of the site, he was saying that much of the materials had to be made in Europe then shipped here because the Americans wouldn't do this kind of work. For example, the panes of glass are amazingly large. They range from 5' x 30' to close to 30'x30' panes! The glass is made in Germany and shipped to the states. That's not the only thing that is made overseas. There are materials being made in England, Italy and France! 

I am huge fan of Lord Foster because he is known for his "green architecture". I want to know what is "green" about this structure. The shipping of these items isn't obviously... The large glass can't be very energy efficient; especially since the large room has radiating floors and heaters on the roof to melt snow. I just was thinking about these things... 

Check out some photos that I took today. The building is quite remarkable. The construction is going to be amazing. I can't wait until October 2010!