HKS Design Fellowship VII
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The Central Business District in Dallas is on the verge of making a comeback as a multi-use and urban place to live, work and play. 3
The Downtown Dallas 360 plan cultivates a shared vision for the future of Downtown as one of the world’s most dynamic urban environments. The Downtown Dallas Action Plan www.downtowndallas360.com
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With a plan in place, it is now up to planners, designers, and community leaders to lead Dallas into the future. 7
& This years challenge was to put that plan into action.
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“First life, then spaces, then buildings: the other way around never works.�
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Table of
Contents
WHAT IS THE HKS DESIGN FELLOWSHIP? 14 THIS YEAR’S CHALLENGE 16 “WEST END TRANSIT CENTER: EDGE SYNERGY” 20 “AKARD STATION: SOCIAL CATALYST” 34 “ST. PAUL STATION: COMMUNITY PROGRAM” 46 THE FUTURE 60 13
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WHAT IS THE HKS DESIGN FELLOWSHIP?
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he HKS Design Fellowship is a yearly event when we donate our talent, skills, time and resources to help make our communities a better place.
This is an architectural design competition on steroids, and the prize is a better community to live in and helping people through excellent design, so everyone wins.
Steroids for the design side of the mind.
Over the course of three days, the fellows, who are HKS employees and students from all over the world, brainstorm, research, design and present their ideas to our community partner, who is able to take those ideas and make them a reality...and this is all done pro-bono. Our goal is to cultivate emerging design talent, excite and stimulate new ideas, and deepen our design philosophy across all of our offices in an effort to continue to raise the quality of design at HKS for our clients and our communities.
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THE DESIGN CHALLENGE
hrough visioning and design charrette T process, the fellowship set to propose solutions that build upon the framework
Develop a vision for the type of active streetlife that will revitalize the Central Business District and its surrounding districts.
Develop strategies for interventions that can be deployed at various scales throughout downtown Dallas that take advantgae of differnt site conditions and infrastructure
“Downtown is the logical place to absorb new growth and lead recent trends.”
of the Downtown Dallas 360 study. The fellowship sought to develop specific and creative interventions for 3 transit based sites that can be used as case studies for future improvements building towards a more vibrant, livable and active downtown Dallas and true urban core.
Through planning, architecture and services, increase the density of traffic and extend the hours of use of various spaces Stategize and plan for the types of partnerships between the city, stakeholders, residents and viistors ot downtown.
–THE 360 Plan
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DOWNTOWN DALLAS 360 MASTERPLAN he Dallas 360 plan focuses on a vision T to generate exciting urban expierences, provide balanced transportation systems, and create an inclusive environment. This masterplan achieves these goals in the following ways: Exciting Urban Expierence - developing a sense of place through diverse activities and programmatic elements that focus on streetscape improvements Balanced Transportation Systems - support public transportation through transit oriented development and pedestrian wayfinding
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Inclusive Envrionment - developing activity at a variety of economic scales including programs for transient populations that are intended to serve rather than alienate. These strategies seek to function as a social and economic catalyst to enrich the quality of life in the Central Business District. VISIT THE DALLAS 360 PLAN WEBSITE AT:
WWW.DOWNTOWNDALLAS360.COM
DALLAS BY THE NUMBERS he Central Business District (CBD) T had a population of only a few hundred people prior to the year 2000. As of 2010, that population has grown to more than 7,000.
The Dallas CBD is the largest employment center is North Texas, with 138,000 daily workers Dallas has a metropolitan population of 4,145,659 in an area of approximately 1,407 square miles. This amounts to a population density of 2,946 persons per square mile. Inclusive Envrionment - developing activity 19
WEST END TRANSIT CTR EDGE SYNERGY TEAM MEMBERS
Alejandra Barnetche MEXICO CITY: HEALTHCARE INTERNATIONAL
Kim Dickerson UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS: INTERIOR DESIGN
Nathan Johnson DETROIT: HEALTHCARE
Jay Taylor DALLAS: CORPORATE/OFFICE
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he West End site is a collision of three T districts and various transit means that underutilizes the existing retail, green space, and streetscape. The existing bus station and historic vacant building act as new anchors to create a cohesive urban fabric that engages pedestrian activity at street level. These two elements converge at the Lamar Street and Pacific Avenue Intersection, creating an epicenter that addresses all users.
Our approach is to intervene the vacant building with retail on the bottom floor, event and performance spaces and live work units to act as support program for the proposed adjacent transient service center. At the opposite side of the intersection, we redistributed the bus parking and station, activating the street with a retail band and an elevated parkway for the office and residential tower above. The 360 plan proposes a subterranean Dart Line along Lamar Street. Rosa Parks Plaza provides the opportunity to interconnect the new station by creating a void and integrate the future station. WRITTEN BY: Team West End
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The West End site is a collision of three districts... that underutilizes the existing retail, green space, and ...
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WEST END TRANSIT CENTER
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EXISTING
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WEST END TRANSIT CENTER
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1. PARKING LOT 2. VACANT PARKING LOT 3. UNDERUTILIZED PARK 4. WEST END TRANSDER CENTER
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WEST END TRANSIT CENTER
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1. CIVILIAN PATHWAY 2. COMMINITY CENTER 3. RE-VITALIZED PARK 4. MIXED USED CENTER 5. PAVED CROSSING
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EXISTING
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WEST END TRANSIT CENTER
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EXISTING
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WEST END TRANSIT CENTER
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MIXED USE TRANSIT CENTER
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WEST END TRANSIT CENTER
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RE-IMAGINED PARK
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WEST END TRANSIT CENTER
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WEST END COMMUNITY CENTER
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AKARD STATION SOCIAL CATALYST TEAM MEMBERS
Jon Bailey DALLAS.: HEALTHCARE & LINE
Marco Fat-Diaz UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ARLINGTON: ARCHITECTURE
Kyle Murphy RICHMOND: SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Hayeon Shim SAN FRANCISCO: RESIDENTIAL
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n revitalizing the downtown Dallas I community, a strategic approach must be put in place in order to stimulate the core of the
Central Business District (CBD). Through the implementation of diverse-mixed use program to the Thanksgiving Square area, this proposal seeks to revitalize an area into a dense urban community that activates the street over a 24 hour period. By utilizing existing infrastructure and architectural components, elements will be re-invigorated to host a multitude of programmatic elements to support a larger demographic tying this proposal into the larger Dallas framework by penetrating across the grain of the main arteries of transportation, civic, and public networks. By covering a full spectrum of activity within the project, such as; public and private spaces, week and weekend traffic, and a range ÂŹÂŹof income levels a more vibrant ecology may be brought into the downtown context. By creating a new approach to parking and appropriating the street edge to retail and services for inhabitants, rather than for the vehicle, will energize the street and ensure a continuous current of pedestrian traffic. To create a lively street scene, lower-income multi-family housing and education must also be integrated to attract a wider demographic. Dispersed throughout the project, public spaces as well as architectural intervention will engage and activate the current residents throughout
the community and incite population growth. The 211 ERVAY building is an abandoned building in downtown Dallas. Meant to act as an anchor for the area it is envisioned that it will be redeveloped to draw people to Thanksgiving square toward the East. Rather than raze the building, it has many unique features, such as a skinnier floor plate, unlike many hi-rise buildings in the downtown area consuming entire city blocks and tower over the streets below. Programmatically the building houses elements which will ensure its utilization throughout a 24 hour cycle. This includes a full spectrum of elements such as, public and private space, week and weekday pedestrian traffic, diverse activities, and a range of economic income levels. The building is loaded at its first two levels with retail to cover foot traffic during the day and evening hours leading into the night. The levels above the retail base are reserved for a large dance club and art gallery– the entertainment program of the project. Extruded out of the building and cantilevering above the right-of-way below the club acts as a visual connection and way-finding element for those downtown. Both the gallery and night club act to enliven the streets at night as well as cover week and weekend pedestrian occupation of the area. The upper floors become a mix of high-end condominiums and a hotel to cover short and long term occupation by building diversity in the inhabitant population. Opening 37
up the center of the mass to create a large occupiable void allows for amenity space to the hotel and club as well as responds to the neighboring building by allowing for light into the East side and the corridor between the two. On the opposite side of Thanksgiving park across from 211 ERVAY the project focuses on lower income residential and a more diverse mixed-use program. To enliven this abandoned and forgotten area of downtown, the proposal seeks to re-skin the existing building, bring retail in at the base of the building, and re-dress the area with super graphics and lighting. Due to the lack of residents living in the downtown area, the low-income residential building would be the first project in the proposal to be implemented. As the building fills up with residents, bringing much needed diversity into the community, programmatic elements like shops and the necessary commercial would follow. The building directly neighboring the residential building would house an aboveretail parking garage with a private school above. In the plaza between the two a street and surface parking lot would be closed permanently to host outdoor public events as well as a new public park for community gatherings. To bridge the low income housing project, academic unit, Thanksgiving park and 211 ERVAY a corridor between office buildings would be rehabilitated by bringing in suggested retail components such as a grocer, bakery, 38
AKARD STATION
and other small food-related shops. The current downtown faces the problem of a veritable food desert, with very little places to purchase produce past the 9-5 working hours. Most options for food within the area are small cafes and restaurants; however, none of them are adequate for residences within the downtown area and often close after 5pm. This corridor would bring food options back into the area to support program such as the residential apartments and condos around the park. In addition to the ground level corridor being revitalized the sky-bridge above and underground tunnel below would in addition be brought revitalized, by opening up light wells and bringing in flora to the underground tunnel and opening up the sky-bridge to the air by removing the walls and roof and allowing foliage to take over the bridge deck. To connect the three sites the sky bridge would continue down the corridor and connect each of the buildings across the road and light-rail which traverses downtown. The city’s evolution can only rise from a collective effort and collaboration in cultivating this framework of development. This process may be seen only in fractions; however they must be treated as part of a greater scheme; seemingly independent fragments interlocking with each other to ‘complete the puzzle’. Such measures guarantee to surpass the goal of achieving density and ultimately spark Urbanity.
COMMUNITY
AKARD STATION REVITALIZATION CBD
SOCIAL CATALYST
DALLAS DOWNTOWN MOBILITY QUALITY INTERACTIVE
AFFORDABLE VIBRANT
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SITE AREAS
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COMMERCE STREET
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MAIN STREET
ERVAY STREET
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FIELD STREET
GRIFFIN STREET
LAMAR STREET
ELM STREET
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ST. PAUL STATION COMMUNITY PROGRAM TEAM MEMBERS
Philip Dimick SALT LAKE CITY: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Karen Bechara Mitri LOS ANGELES: HEALTHCARE Masataka Nosaka UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ARLINGTON: ARCHITECTURE
Jessie Peksa DETROIT: HEALTHCARE
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he Pacific Plaza is an existing parking lot adjacent to Patriot Tower which resides just inside the Thanksgiving Commercial Center, on the border of the Main Street District. A partnership between the City of Dallas, the Parks and Recreation Department and the Trust for Public Land identified this lot as a future park in the Downtown Parks Master Plan. The Downtown Dallas 360 Master Plan, however, indicated that the plaza should be “smaller than what is proposed… to serve as a multi-purpose space for nearby office workers, area residents, and the Sheraton Hotel…” The 360 plan also recommended development on the northern edge of the plaza, and “redesigning Live Oak as a slow street to connect Aston Park into a larger contiguous space.” In addition, the 360 plan made a general recommendation that streetscape improvements be prioritized along Harwood “to encourage greater pedestrian mobility between Main Street and the Dallas Arts District.”
Following these key recommendations, this team sought to design Pacific Plaza as a destination stop en route, and not as a terminus. All bordering streets are designed to be pedestrian-centric in order to draw pedestrian traffic in the direction of either Main Street, or the Dallas Arts District. Furthermore, this team identified numerous small parks within walking distance of the plaza. While each of these parks is rather small when compared to other urban parks, landscape related developments at the street level can provide the
perception of a larger downtown park network. By designing for activities that attract pedestrians to a relatively central position of Downtown Dallas, the plaza can reach beyond Main Street and attract people from areas that are soon to be redeveloped, such as the Dallas Farmers’ Market. In order to provide a user link between different downtown districts, much of the design of the plaza is circulation oriented. Circulation is not only emphasized through streetscape improvements, but also by closing vehicular traffic at Live Oak Street, providing circulation out of the underground tunnels, and cutting a circulation path through the plaza toward Main Street and the farmers market. Providing circulation both horizontally and vertically exposes the street level to more sources of pedestrian traffic. A number of residential complexes are currently planned, or exist near the plaza. The program of the plaza adds additional residences designed for middle-income families, and provides support programming for such residents that is difficult to find downtown. These recommended program elements include, but are not limited to: a basketball court, a swimming pool, small dance studios, small and medium sized retail, and flexible, leasable community spaces. This type of programming is emphasized in the 360 plan, and if provided, considerably broadens the downtown base demographic and adds vibrancy to the city. WRITTEN BY: Team St. Paul 51
“Using the ground plane as a primary datum for the program and activation of the site, the development focuses on circulation that facilitates movement...�
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ST. PAUL STATION
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PROPOSED SITEPLAN
HEADER TEXT Content text content text
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ST. PAUL STATION
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PROPOSED PLAZA SCAPE
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vegetation
water feature
low plants
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fruit & vegetables
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CONCEPT DIAGRAM
Site Axis DART pedestrian water feature green space
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ST. PAUL STATION
PROGRAM retail 35,000 sf -shops -grocery convenience store -news stand -dry cleaning -bank -restaurants/cafe -underground movie theatre community center -day care -art space -pool -gymnasium -sports field -locker rooms -public toilet/shower -bike parking
75,000 sf
public spaces 67,000 sf -outdoor seating -urban garden -recycled rubber play area -water features residential -townhomes (1,500sf ea) 45,000 sf -studio (700 sf ea) 18,000 sf circulation -parking 5 levels -tunnel connectivity -Dart station -bike path
public space
residential
community center
retail
parking
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Site Axis
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PROPOSED TUNNEL / AMPHITHEATRE
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PROPOSED COMMUNITY CENTER
THE FUTURE After an intense three days of hard work the fellows presented their solutions to a highly knowledgeable panel of jurors. What followed was a very thoughtful discussion not only about each proposed intervention but also the common theme of transit oriented design and its potential to transform downtown Dallas.
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The goal of the charrette was to generate a discussion among key stakeholders and interested parties that we hope continues outside of the fellowship weekend. As Dallas continues to strengthen the vibrancy and livelihood of the downtown area it could be the ideas that were generated during this HKS Design Fellowship VII that help guide or inspire future improvements.
A ve r y s p e c i a l t h a n k yo u t o a l l of our jurors brent brown, aia founder, bcworkshop/citydesign studio
r. gregg chilton
angela hunt
noah jeppson
Dallas city council
environmental graphic design, dallas tunnels
chuck mcdaniel managing principal, swa group
heath may
general manager, cushman & wakefield of texas, inc.
VICE PRESIDENT, hks
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THE FIRM BEHIND THE FELLOWSHIP Architecture reflects our time and culture as well as shapes it. It is our essential humanity that moves us to do good, creating places that facilitate activity and bring joy to the human spirit. HKS is creating spaces that enhance the human experience. We are one. We believe that the value of talent, experience and knowledge is multiplied when shared. HKS is a worldwide network of professionals, strategically located and working seamlessly as one firm. We put together the best teams from around the globe to deliver exceptional value to our clients. Our individual expertise includes design, research and management. Our vision is to be a global leader in professional design services, bringing value to clients through innovation while being committed to excellence, sustainability and sound business principles.