Sasaki’s redesign of the plaza offers visitors both the functional infrastructure of a plaza, allowing people to gather and host events, combined with the natural amenities of a park, providing spaces for respite and recreation. Located at the junction of the historic Trinity Church, Boston Public Library (BPL), and Hancock Tower, the new Copley Plaza welcomes all residents and visitors in the city.

Reimagining an Iconic Landmark

Struggling to meet its programming demands, the existing plaza had fallen into disrepair and its plantings had grown stressed, lawns experienced neglect, and walking paths were overdue for maintenance. Recognizing the importance of these functional features, the design embraces the site’s beloved elements while introducing more intuitive and programmable amenities. Existing trees are preserved along with new plantings, the beloved fountain has been modified to improve its functionality and meet current ADA standards, and walking paths are re-configured to enhance access to both the Boston Public Library and Trinity Church. The previously fragmented site is now a cohesive, yet flexible space for events year-round.

To provide a peaceful gateway into Trinity Church and a gathering space in front of the library, the location of the lawn and the plaza have been switched. An event space is added to the Dartmouth Street side of the plaza, and a raised planting grove protects legacy trees and provides elevated seating along its edge. To enhance pedestrian circulation, the major axes through the site is more clearly defined, providing connections to and from all surrounding landmarks.

A Design Process Informed by Public Engagement

The design team gathered over 2,500 touchpoints with the community to identify the priorities and opportunities for improvement for the plaza’s redesign. Methods included online surveys across multiple phases, meetings with the City Parks and Recreation Department, stakeholders, a steering committee, and a series of community meetings that engaged the greater public. Key priorities identified included the protection of legacy trees, increased shaded seating, improvements to the existing fountain, and clearer, more usable circulation paths. 

Sustainability Strategies

Sasaki’s interdisciplinary team developed strategies for ensuring the long-term sustainability of Copley Square, including the preservation of legacy trees, combined with the introduction of new, native plantings, an improved groundwater system, and the use of recycled materials.

Impermeable surfaces in the surrounding Back Bay neighborhood have led to the reduction of groundwater levels, presenting long-term durability issues to the wood piles that serve as the foundation for many buildings in the area. To aid in the maintenance and potential raising of the water table, the design introduces an increase in permeable surfaces in the park, including bricks around the perimeter, an open deck system around existing trees, and a subsurface infiltration gallery that filters surface stormwater runoff back into the ground. Furthermore, recycled stone materials have been incorporated around the fountain, including the existing fountain steps re-used as seatwalls along the fountain perimeter. 

The full plaza re-opened to the public for the holiday tree lighting ceremony on December 1, 2025.