The white bubble is visible to almost any passerby going down Columbus Avenue. Even in the snowy weather prevalent during this time of year, the bubble towers over and garners curiosity over what lies underneath.
The William E. Carter Playground will now be open year-round for Northeastern students and Boston residents alike due to the assembly of an inflatable dome over the area. Named after Sgt. William E. Carter, an African American veteran of the Spanish-American War and World War I, the recreational space previously could not be occupied during certain seasons as the weather became colder. However, the bubble now allows the athletic fields to be utilized year-round despite turbulent weather and seasonal changes.
Made out of durable fabric material, supported by wire cables, and anchored down by concrete, the bubble houses two fields that can be used for various sports and five tennis courts available for over 13 Northeastern club sports teams to use. The 72-feet-tall bubble will be open seven days a week to allow Northeastern students constant access to sports resources. With the revitalization of the Carter Playground, Northeastern University strengthens its bond with the city of Boston and furthers its commitment to the communities surrounding the school campus.
The playground also features an area with equipment for children with disabilities in dedication to Northeastern graduate Victoria McGrath who was injured in the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013 and then later passed away in 2016 in an overseas accident.
Northeastern University has dedicated $108 million to the Carter Playground project, of which $26 million has been allocated for construction and $82 million in maintenance over the course of 30 years. The 6.5-acre park has expanded by 25% with the addition of property from the Camden parking lot.
“This is a strategy that long term is going to pay us great dividends,” said Jack Malone, associate vice president of facilities at Northeastern in a new article published by Northeastern. “For kids living in the city, their first initiation with Northeastern will be coming to our campus and seeing how well [Carter Playground] is maintained and seeing how Northeastern is giving back to the community.”
Another ongoing piece of construction on campus is the pedestrian bridge over the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Amtrak rail lines. This bridge forms a physical link between the two sides of the Northeastern campus, Columbus Avenue and the main campus, and will facilitate daily commutes and organization. As a new Boston landmark, the 132 feet-long bridge took over six years to construct. In total, 242,000 pounds of steels were employed into the largest piece of pedestrian crossing present on Northeastern University’s campus. The bridge strengthens the university’s goal of joining the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury and Fenway. This new construction follows the reopening of the Carter Playground, as well as the International Village and the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC).
One of the largest cranes on the East Coast was required to lift the bridge span into place. In addition, the bridge was facing backward and had to be spun 180 degrees and then moved over the train tracks. Because of this, the final construction process could not begin until the last train had run through the MBTA and Amtrak lines. Pieces of the bridge came from places like Houston, Texas, and Maine and were later assembled on site for implementation.
In a news article published by Northeastern, Bob Shaeffner, a principal of Payette, the architecture firm that designed the bridge, said “The vision for the bridge was born out of this idea of flow and movement. Play down the tracks as an impediment and make an event. Make the crossing almost an artistic experience.”
With no right angles, the bridge curves asymmetrically and features two sides with distinct personalities. The northern side will have walls that fan out like gills to reveal views of the Boston skyline and the ISEC building, while the southern side will have solid walls and a string of LED lights.