My Drawing of the John Hancock Tower

The John Hancock Tower have lots of glass on the exterior so I tried to draw a lot of big glass pieces, but it isn't drawn to scale though. The part of the tower that is sticking out is the base of the tower and is where the lobby is.

On this website I give us a controversy regrading the making of the John Hancock Tower:

http://www.aviewoncities.com/boston/hancocktower.htm

It talks about the time before the was built John Hancock Tower the problem it might proposed if it was to be built. The modern skyscraper is built on Copley Square, where many important historic building lies. It was thought that the 60-story building will not fit well with the nineteenth-century Romanesque Trinity Church. After the construction and a few mishaps, the combination of historic building and the reflecting tower work out pretty well.


Works Citation:

"John Hancock Tower." a view on cities. n.p. n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2015

Video on John Hancock Tower

Twenty-five Year Award Bestowed on John Hancock Tower in Boston

This video shows the reflective nature of the glass on the exterior of the building. Knowing that the Trinity Church is a important National Historic Landmark, the John Hancock Tower reflects the image of the Trinity Church so it is more visible on the other side of the tower. Also Since it reflects all of the light, it doesn't cast a shadow so it doesn't overpower the Trinity Church at all.

Works Citation:

AIANational. "Twenty-five Year Award Bestowed on John Hancock Tower in Boston." Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube.11 May. 2011. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

Flickr Photo Cache of John Hancocl Tower

Here is a link to view pictures of the tower:
https://www.flickr.com/search?text=John%20Hancock%20Tower

Keep mind that some pictures are picture of the John Hancock Center in Chicago. To figure out which one is the John Hancock Tower, see if it got a glass exterior or have the Trinity Church nearby. There are a lot of pictures to see at different angles and different time of the day. On some pictures, you can really see how tall the tower is compared to all the other buildings in the area. Also in these pictures you can really see how reflective the glass is by reflecting its surroundings, such as the clouds and Trinity Church.

Facts on Henry N. Cobb

Fact about the architect of the John Hancock Tower, Henry N. Cobb.

1. Henry N. Cobb was born and raised in Boston.
Being raised in a large urban area allows him to understand the rapid growing world. He understand the environment and the feelings of Boston, a factor that made his John Hancock Tower a well known building.

2. Henry N. Cobb has lectured widely and has held visiting appointments at a number of universities.
This shows how much he cares about architecture and want to pass that passion on to future architect. From 1980 to 1985, he also served as Studio Professor and Chairman of the Department of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design showing how important this means to him.

3. Henry N. Cobb said that tall buildings are social isolator and we need buildings that bring people together. He believe this is more important then that of technical reasons.
Buildings were built for other reasons then that of a social isolator, but it happens to be one. He knows that buildings are not prefect, but he tries to make an effort to make the architecture of a building more meaningful.


Works Citations:

"Henry N. Cobb" Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP. n.p. n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.
CTBUH. "CTBUH Video Interview - Henry Cobb." Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube. 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

Two Books to Read for More Info

I found two books to read to further understand the John Hancock Tower. These book are not specific to John Hancock Tower, but they do have decent amount of content on the tower:

Why Architecture Matters - Paul Gold Berger
Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings - Judith Dupre

A lot of books I saw only mention or reference John Hancock Tower, but don't go too much in depth on the tower. These book also tell you about other buildings similar to the tower and how past building may affect the design process of this tower and how this tower influence later works to come.

Interview with Henry Cobb

                                               CTBUH Video Interview - Henry Cobb

In this interview, Henry Cobb, the architect that designed the John Hancock Tower, discuss about his thought on tall buildings and how it interact with the environment around it. It helps the viewers understand his philosophies on tall buildings and architecture.

Works Citation:

CTBUH. "CTBUH Video Interview - Henry Cobb." Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube. 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

Entrance Hall

John Hancock Tower's Lobby

Here is the lobby of the John Hancock Tower. You can see a couple of people walking into the hall and people on the receptionist desk. Since the John Hancock Tower is so big on the outside, making a gigantic lobby only reinforce the massive feeling of the portrayed by the tower


Work Citation:

"John Hancock Tower" View The Space. n.p. n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

Location of the Tower

The John Hancock Tower is located in 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116.
Around the tower is a very urban area in the city. You can see a library and church near the tower. A major concern with the location while designing the tower was its proximity to the Boston's Trinity Church, a prominent National Historic Landmark. There was even a public outcry when it was revealed that the John Hancock Tower would cast its shadow on the church. This led the architects of the tower to redesign the tower's plans.


Works Citation:

Farragher, Thomas. "60 stories and countless tales." boston.com. 24 Sep. 2006. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

Exterior Pictures

View From Up High

The picture on the right shows the view from the Prudential Tower of the John Hancock Tower and it's surroundings. The highly reflective blue glass exterior layer makes it very noticeable in the city. On the bottom left area of the tower you can see the Trinity Church.

View from Down Low

The picture on the left shows the John Hancock Tower on a ground level view. As you can see in the picture the tower is huge and much taller then all of the building in the area so you can't miss the building looking up. The exterior is made primarily steel and glass. You can also see the Trinity Church to the right of this picture.


Works Citation:

Hilsen, Tim. View from the Prudential Tower on the John Hancock Tower, Trinity Church and the city center. 2008. OurTravelPics.com. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

Floor Plans

Here are the floor plans of the 17th, 18th, 25th, and 50th floor in the John Hancock Tower.


Works Citation:

"John Hancock Tower" View The Space. n.p. n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

Purpose and Function

The John Hancock Tower is New England's tallest building and one of Boston's most significant landmarks. Minimalism was the design principle behind the tower. Tall skinny glass structures were a goal of modernists architecture during this time. Cobb's design made a consistent, monolithic look unlike other glass skyscraper of the time such as Seagram Building and the Johnson Wax Headquarters.

John Hancock Tower is a skyscraper hotel and business tower. The John Hancock Tower have world-class dining, shopping, entertainment and hotel choices for tenants. It also have the culture of a private, secure, all-business tower.


Works Citation:

John Hancock Tower. Boston Properties, 2015. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

John Hancock Tower: Basic Information

John Hancock Tower is a 62-story, 790 ft skyscraper located in Boston on 200 Clarendon Street.

The building contains a gross floor area of 2,060,000 square feet and is the tallest building in Boston for more then 30 years.

The tower was designed by Henry N. Cobb of the firm I.M. Pei & Partners.  The construction started in 1968 and the tower was completed in 1976.


Works Citation:

"John Hancock Tower" Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP. n.p. n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.