(re)Designing Education

In the most recent campaign cycle, many politicians remarked about the need to reform education.  Beyond the rhetoric, this is a large and complex task; probably not appropriate for politicians to meddle in.  This video explains some of the issues that have developed with our education system and the education paradigm.  The need for redesign is clear, but how...and by whom?

HOT or NOT: Second Street SW Downtown Bus Shelters

Planning and design work has abounded lately in the bustling metropolis of Rochester, Minnesota.

• In 2008, the Rochester Area Foundation and City of Rochester led the Second Street Corridor planning project to create a strategy for future growth and development through the corridor as a principle gateway to downtown.
• This year the City of Rochester, in conjunction with Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota Rochester, Rochester Area Foundation and Rochester Downtown Alliance, recently finished work on the Rochester Downtown Master Plan (RDMP).
• Soon to be forthcoming will be the Downtown Master Plan and Mobility Study which takes a comprehensive view of mobility in, and accessibility to, the downtown core.

With these planning documents, the stage is set for a significant amount of redevelopment and change throughout our urban center.  While planning is a great first step, success ultimately hinges on implementation. 

The seminal project--out ahead of the aforementioned planning documents--is the first phase of the Second Street SW reconstruction undertaken by the City of Rochester Public Works Department.  This initial segment runs directly in front of Mayo Clinic's front door and is arguably the first thing that patients and visitors see when they arrive in Rochester.  The project was complex and involved mass transit considerations, pedestrian crossings, greenscape improvements, lighting and other urban design elements, but today's HOT or NOT focus is on the four brand new bus shelters that anchor the First Avenue SW terminus. 

The verdict is...HOT*

Finally an urban design project in Rochester worth embracing and celebrating!  The main statement that this project makes is "design matters, and this is the kind of quality design we can expect from our City."  In my opinion, what influenced the design process the most was the multi-disciplinary team that developed a scheme that incorporates functionality, aesthetics, public art, safety, traffic calming, and landscaping.  

The shelters are monumental and iconic.  They stand apart from the buildings that line Second Street SW and yet are indicative of an homogenous design aesthetic that runs through the corridor.  The shelters provide bench seating with on-demand heat lamps, and exterior knee walls that surround landscaping.  Each shelter is differentiated from its neighbor by organic super-graphic vegetation artwork that is incorporated into the frosted glass panels.  These panels are also illuminated by LEDs that rifle through the color spectrum, thereby reinforcing their landmark appearance at night. 

An additional functional design element (that I can appreciate from experience) is the secondary overhang opposite the street facade.  As I mentioned, these shelters are four of the most trafficked bus stops during rush hour and can have a line that far exceeds standing room capacity.  With this secondary overhang, those individuals not fortunate enough to land a seat or space inside the weather protected canopy, can avoid the elements below a beautifully detailed glass canopy on the rear of the shelter.



Now you may have noticed an asterisk next to the verdict.  That is because there are a couple 'glitches' in the design that I take umbrage with.  The first has to do with the metal canopy.  I subscribe to the design theory that materials contain visual weight and that physics and gravity should influence material choices.  An example of this would be using heavy stone as a foundation to appear permanent and massive, while lightweight metal is used for sun shades that float out from a building.  In this design, the principle overhang is a metal clad canopy that is proportionally much too thick.  The steel beams that are within are very deep, but then the canopy is clad on all sides with metal panels and recessed lights as opposed to exposing the structure to lighten the visual weight (the secondary overhang, on the sidewalk is a much better example with lightweight metal struts and point-supported glass forming its canopy).  The solution to this issue is that the overhang should be much less massive or should be clad in an alternate material that doesn't connote levity.

The second design detail that detracts from the overall concept is with the quickness with which the LEDs make their way through the spectrum.  I may be in the minority, but I do like the LEDs both from a traffic calming and attention grabbing standpoint as well as a way to appreciate the artwork at night.  However, the frequent shifting of colors is almost too busy and distracting and ends up looking cheesy.  If the rate at which they changed was slowed, or if each of the four shelters remained on a distinct color, the effect would be much better. 

All in all, I am very pleased with this first effort in upgrading the appearance and expectations of our downtown.  I feel that it is an optimistic sign of things to come.  Our design community is increasingly aware of the decisions that need to be made and the City Leadership has realized that making sound design judgements will reap rewards with each successive project.  Even though the street light timing has changed on Second Street making it increasingly inconvenient to pass through this downtown stretch with its staccato rhythm of reds and greens, I still find myself desiring to take a stop and go drive to admire the beauty of Rochester's latest design installment.