Emerald City - Minneapolis

When we moved to Minneapolis in April of 1989, the terrain was smothered in snow – about 24 inches everywhere.  As the spring thaw came, so did the most brilliant emerald greens and chartreuses you ever saw.  (Is it really almost March?  This is coming up quickly – so be ready!)  Growing up in Chicagoland, I did not see many weeping willow trees, but here they are abundant.  If you never noticed, pay special attention this year – they are always the first to show color and start the spring kaleidoscope going.  I’m convinced that the more extreme our winters are, the more dazzling the spring colors. 

One of the spectacular images (one that I get to see several times a week all year round) is the sun rising behind the downtown skyline as I drive in from the west.  The silhouette of the city.  Minneapolis is a beautiful city to view from this distance, given the essential flatness of the prairie terrain and the way the city bursts up from the land.

Once downtown, the size of the city is manageable and walkable.  A person can walk almost anywhere downtown in less than an hour.  Since I’m in the heart of downtown at work, I can get anywhere in 30 minutes or less.  The skyways are great in the winter – or on super-hot or super rainy days.  The skyway system has been described as a giant mall (or human gerbil trails).  It’s a little of both. 

Despite the economy, the city is still vibrant – in the past couple of years we opened a new Twins Ballpark (Target Field) and a new stadium at the University of Minnesota (known fondly as “The U”).  Sustainability is a major influencer here, and both were built following LEED principles.  And they are beautiful, well-functioning facilities.  There is a renewed excitement to the city that was not there a few years ago. 

Minneapolis is currently holding the honor of the number 1 bicycle city.  We have been neck and neck with Portland, Oregon, and finally surpassed them.  There is a public bicycle rental program called “Nice Ride” where anyone can rent a bicycle for any length of time from special bike racks located all around.  The entire city is amply supplied with bicycle trails. 

So… walking, skyways, biking – all ways to connect to and within the city.  As I have been researching the city I live and work in, it struck me that there is no clarity or synthesis to the Minneapolis culture.  The city is a bunch of different things to different people.  So  – why do I like it?  What should be celebrated?  Can a building bring that clarity? Can an intervention placed at the confluence of the major walkways and paths add what seems to be missing today? 

The Way Things Could Be

“Design is about looking at the future, thinking about the way things could be. Planning is about figuring out the steps we need to take to achieve where we want to go.   …

…a lot of people don't realize the way designers work. You do a lot of research, develop some ideas, and then you put them up for critique and people try to shoot them down, saying: "This won't work. You've got to change that." You do it again and again. It's an iterative process, and by the time you've gone through many phases of it you've got a solution that basically nobody can find many flaws with.” 

Tom Fisher, Dean of the College of Design, University of Minnesota

The_Line_Media_MSP@mail.vresp.com  

What Tom Fisher says is relevant to the thesis process – "thinking about the way things could be".  Thesis is about the idea and the steps to get there.  I am going to spend time this week thinking about my vision for connection in Minneapolis.  How can we connect the relevant pieces of downtown?  Why should they be connected? And what criteria will be used to determine which sites are relevant to this project? 

I am thinking in terms of destinations – museums, theatres, music venues, sporting venues, parks, plazas and gardens. 

Why should they be connected?  What will the benefit of connection be?  There is a certain energy inherent in each of these places today.  If they were considered an essential piece of the whole that is Minneapolis, rather than just one destination, it could make them stronger draws for tourism and entertainment, and create a synergy that is not present today. 

I’m working on the research piece this week.  My first draft of a plan is attached – the attractions/destinations from the Walker Art Center (south end) to the Mill City Museum (river) and University of Minnesota Campus.

[Note:  I will also post to VT for your viewing convenience.]

3 SITES IN MINNEAPOLIS

It’s the connection that matters.

There will always be many insides and one very big outside, but it’s the connection that makes an architectural experience memorable. 

And, okay, there are also some in-betweens and there is also outer space.  But I would like to focus on the connections.

Connections between inside and outside, connections to community, connections to history, connections to landscape, connections to the city.

 

In Minneapolis, there are three locations I will be exploring - 2 near the riverfront and one on the southern edge of the central business district in downtown Minneapolis. 

The Mississippi River is a strong geographical element in the Twin Cities - sometimes considered a connector and sometimes a barrier.  There is a rich history surrounding the river and  great opportunity in redeveloping some of the land near the river. 

My 2 river-based sites are:

1) a parking lot 3 blocks from the west bank, at the intersection of Hennepin and Washington Avenues.

2) Boom Island Park, a public park that has great potential to serve as a connector to the central city from the east bank.

My third site is Peavey Plaza, at the intersection of Nicollet Mall and 11th Street.  I became intrigued with this site during my Urban Design class in Semester 1.  This is a neighborhood and community connector, and with a new addition planned at
adjacent Orchestra Hall there is an opportunity to bring something uniquely “Minneapolis” to this site.  

inside| outside

If you were inside and your friend was outside, and the wall between you was solid, you would not know they were there.  Presumably, depending on how you got into the space in the first place, you might not even know if you were above or below grade when inside the building.

One tiny window could give you the perspective you need to understand your place in the world.  A large glass door even more so.  

I believe that in order to define a successful inside|outside connection, a designer must understand what activities will take place on each side of the wall/connection.   Horizontal connections can be exclusive if they are set too high for some or too low for others.  Vertical connections can serve anyone at any height. 

Daylight, views + direct connections

Even in a completely enclosed space the tiniest pinhole of light seeping into the room can give the space depth and give the occupant comfort.  In thinking about connections from inside to outside, is it enough to have daylight entering in, even if you cannot see where it comes from?  Is Solatube the right answer to getting people their essential daylight? 

glass blocks - obscure but bright; bring daylight into a workshop

I believe given a choice between no light and Solatube, most people would pick the Solatube.  But if an architect wants to give people a sense of comfort and a sense of place, then a visual connection is essential.  And if you want to give people a space that they can have the ultimate control of their environment, then they should have a physical as well as a visual connection to the space outside. 

Can the front door be the only connection to the outside?  In some instances, it might be the best choice.   Certainly some places are better suited to views of the landscape than others.  But even a small deck or balcony that is built for only one person to sit or stand and catch some fresh air is much better than a dark enclosed room with no connection to the exterior.  Fresh air in the central business district or a dense urban environment is still fresh air.  Even though the landscape is paved in urban areas, it is still the landscape – just a little less grassy. 

I believe that people need shelter, too.  I’m not advocating we all live outside, which would obviously be the extreme connection to the earth.  Nor am I advocating that we should all live on farms or communes or vast open countryside.  I just think we need to connect to our surroundings, and that buildings should be built to complement, connect to and strengthen the existing context. 

AIRPORT SECURITY LINES - 2/3/11

How can the airport security lines be comprehensively redesigned to best serve the traveling public? 

What are the current challenges with the security process? 

• Manual checking, human interaction required
• Long lines due to limits of human speed
• Clumsy and cumbersome activities
• No one-size-fits-all solution
• Everyone carries different things - different quantities, sizes and shapes of personal belongings
• Start with all together/spread it all out/repack so all is together again
• Undress/redress
• Know which things go in bins, which things need to be separated from the other things, which clothing to remove
• Extra challenging for families with small children/strollers; elderly; medical implants/pacemakers; wheelchairs
• The current security process was established in the past 10 years – most airports were built several decades ago, and thus are trying to fit a long, linear process into a short space.

What are some of the physical requirements of the process?

• Space to walk through for identity check from TSA agent
• Agent podium with light, desktop to view boarding pass and ID
• Space to undress, unpack, rearrange all of your belongings
• Roller belt to send your belongings through x-ray
• Security gate to walk through yourself
• Conveyor Belt to collect your belongings on the other end and reassemble
• Space on “back end” for TSA agents to physically search a passenger with unique issues
• Stand-up x-ray machines being introduced in some airports
• Benches or chairs to use to retie shoes, rearrange belongings, etc.
• Space to redress/reassemble.

What are some of the regulatory issues affecting design?

• TSA agent must manually check your ID
• Other TSA agents must be present in case a physical search is required.
• Other TSA agent is reviewing your belongings as they move past on the conveyor to make sure you are bringing the acceptable items, they are separated properly for scanning. 
• Other TSA agent waves you through the security scanner or directs you on the proper stance for the stand-up x-ray. 
• Liquids and gels must be in a quart sized baggie, and cannot exceed 3 ounces each.
• Laptops must be separated and placed in their own bin.
• Shoes must be removed.
• Bulky sweaters, jackets, sweatshirts, scarves must be removed.
• Typically belts and large pieces of jewelry, including metal watches, must be removed.
• Pockets must be clear of keys, change, cell phones, etc.
• Beverages are not allowed unless they are baby formula or milk; prescription drugs in their labeled containers, etc.
• People with special needs can request physical search in lieu of walking thru the scanner.

Small brain-dump of security concepts:

• IDEA 1

What if the process was automated and when you picked up your boarding pass or when you walked into the airport, you ran your boarding pass through a scanner and they told you which checkpoint to go to?  Once at the line, you scanned your boarding pass and ID and got into the line.  (That would give you time to say goodbye to loved ones in between, etc.)

Then – what if the line was equipped with a tiered cart that you could place your bag onto and reallocate laptops, liquids, etc. as you walked toward the scanner.   There would be a place for your shoes in the bin, and a place to hang your coat or sweater.  You would simply walk next to your cart and then pick it up on the other side of the scanner.  No messy bins or balancing acts trying to pull your laptop out of your bag as you are taking off your shoes and coat.

On the other side of the security line, the cart would have a conveyor that sent it to the front of the line. 

• IDEA 2
  What if there were smiling happy greeters and they were there to assist you (especially the first-timers)?
  What if there was a moderate speed conveyor that you could walk next to the whole time through security?  After going past the TSA agent, you immediately had a conveyor to place your belongings on and start to unravel them.  You could have a less stressful and physically challenging event, since you would reduce the balancing-act part of the process.  Currently, the belts on the lobby side of the security line are much shorter than on the gate side. 
  
  What if there was a special line for infrequent travelers that gave them a “how to” guidance along the way?  Basically, a tutorial as you walked next to the conveyor.  For each item, they would push an “okay” button as they did the task.  (Place your laptop in its own bin.  “okay” now, make sure all liquids and gels are placed in a bin … etc.)
  What if after you passed through security there was a lounge space that you could stop and catch your breath instead of running through, and feeling pressured to collect everything as fast as you can?

spaces and air - Groundhog Day 2/2/11

spaces and air

On the way to Portland, the sky was clear the entire flight.  Looking down as we left Minneapolis, the earth was snow-covered and frozen, a bright white wrapper over all of the topography.   After a while, it became a quilted landscape - subtle tones of earth across the western states – circles and squares that identify farm boundaries and property lines.   I could see pale blue lakes and snow covered mountains that look as if they have just burst out from the depths of the earth. 

This expanse of air and space is infinite. The plane that I am traveling in is a tiny, tiny piece of space. 

Every mode of transport has such different dimensional qualities.  I have been in cars, buses and several buildings over the past two days.  Each space is unique – my hotel room was 40 feet deep by 12 feet wide by 12 feet tall!  For just me! 

The dimensions/proportions of spaces can give people a sense of awe, comfort, freedom, happiness, excitement, peace.  Spaces are most successful when they are proportional to the activities that take place in them.  Cars are an example of spaces that should be proportioned large enough for a person to fit, but not so large that the person cannot see the road from the driver’s seat or so that they are too big for the width of the road. 

Buildings/vehicles/rooms should be the right size for the functions they serve.  How do we discover the right size?  That is a question I will start to explore.