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Introduction to MSI Design Since 1990, MSI has made an impact on the design and planning fields with creative solutions to a diversity of design challenges. A combination of creative problem solving and technical expertise has resulted in hundreds of built projects on the landscape of Central Ohio and beyond. With a studio of gifted professionals and a guiding principle of design excellence, MSI strives to raise the standard of landscape architecture, land planning, and urban design services. The success of MSI is based on a team of design and planning professionals driven to push each project to a higher level of quality. With backgrounds in landscape architecture, planning, and urban design, the staff brings a broad range of skills, creativity, and experience to each project. From concept to construction detailing, an emphasis on innovation is the hallmark of the MSI design studio. With offices in Orlando, Florida; Pasadena, California and Columbus, Ohio, MSI houses a wealth of practical experience and is able to provide a complete range of planning and landscape architectural services and consulting. The diversity of projects and the consistent high-quality design expertise has created a growing sphere of recognition and respect for MSI in the industry. From city parks to theme parks, and from communities to campuses, the work of MSI has generated a network of satisfied clients and users throughout the region, the country and abroad. With the goal of meeting new design challenges with fresh ideas, MSI is at the forefront of the profession, leaving as a legacy the beauty of its craft on the landscape.
CREATING PUBLIC SPACES
SHELBY CIVIC PARK MASTER PLAN The City of Shelby has a tremendous opportunity born out of a tremendous challenge. This challenge took place in 2007 when the Black Fork overflowed its banks and confronted downtown Shelby with waters exceeding the 100year flood level. This flood crept well up Main Street, filling lower floors with flood water, and completely inundated the residential area adjacent to the banks of the Black Fork. Faced with the devastation of the flood, Shelby city leaders quickly responded. With the assistance of federal aid money provided through FEMA, Shelby was able to relocate all of the residents as well as city hall and the police station and was able to purchase a large percentage of the effected properties located in the floodplain of the Black Fork. Realizing that different development choices are needed to protect this area from future flood impacts, city leaders also realized that this land is a transformational opportunity to create a much-needed City Park in the heart of Downtown Shelby. To realize this new vision, city leaders undertook a 6-month planning process, beginning in October of 2010. Working with park planning and urban design experts from MSI Design, hopes and ideas for the new park were culled from the community and transformed into a vision for the future. The new City Park will be a jewel in Downtown Shelby, reflecting the established character of the community while opening a new chapter of civic pride for the residents and visitors to this fine city. Location:
Shelby, Ohio
Contact:
Mayor Marilyn John 419-347-5131
CREATING PUBLIC SPACES
COLUMBUS COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN QUADRANGLE Columbus College of Art & Design’s urban campus is spread over several blocks in downtown Columbus, and the creation of the Quad establishes a campus centerpiece to link student dorms, the art gallery, and the recently completed student center. Formerly a surface parking lot, the ½ acre green space was designed to accommodate the functions of a traditional campus quadrangle: recreation, pathways for walking routes, open space for organized events, and comfort for outdoor studying or socializing. These requirements were surpassed using a palette and form that coincides with the creative spirit of a design school. The hardscape elements consist of concrete pathways and seatwalls finished to match campus details. An accent of crushed stone, which is made of a regionally-sourced, aggregate material, is graded and compacted to provide an accessible walkway. Existing trees are preserved in open lawn areas near the residential area, and additional deciduous trees to shade the seatwalls are planned for installation. Collaboration with the architect of the adjacent Crane Student Center, to create a strong relationship between indoor and outdoor common space, MSI was responsible for design development of the quad and master planning.
Location:
Columbus, Ohio
Contact:
Dennison Griffith, President, 107 N. Ninth St., Columbus, OH 43215, 614.222.3220
Awards:
2006 Ohio Chapter ASLA Merit Award
CREATING PUBLIC SPACES
WADE OVAL University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio, is an extraordinary cultural, medical and educational district. Its concentration of institutions in one square mile is unsurpassed in the world. In addition to many others, important institutions such as the renowned Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Botanical Garden and Severance Hall (home of the Cleveland Orchestra), call the Wade Oval their home. The Wade Oval also serves as the ceremonial center of the University Circle district. The plan provides stronger pedestrian connections between the three major institutions fronting on the Oval by activating their entries and the edges of the open space. The institutions’ front doors extend across Wade Oval Drive, providing open “stages” for sculpture gardens (Art Museum), botanical displays (Botanical Garden) and children’s play (Natural History Museum). Various seating opportunities, park elements and passive open space provide yearround enjoyment for visitors, nearby workers and neighbors alike. While the emphasis is to activate Wade Oval throughout the year, much consideration was given to the popular festivals such as Parade-the-Circle, which can bring more than 30,000 visitors to the Oval for the day’s activities. MSI was responsible for full design services in restoring the 7-acre open space back to prominence.
Owner:
University Circle, Inc.
Contact:
Chris Ronayne, University Circle Inc., 10831 Magnolia Dr., Cleveland, OH 44106-1887 216.791.3900
CREATING PUBLIC SPACES
MCFERSON COMMONS McFerson Commons is a new great urban park space created as a link between the downtown riverfront and the heart of the Arena District. A thriving downtown park, McFerson Commons has become a popular spot for outdoor summer weddings, a preferred location for viewing Independence Day fireworks, and the endpoint of the Columbus Marathon. It is common to see downtown workers taking a lunch break or children from a nearby day care center playing in the grass. This long, triangular stretch of green provides a centerpiece to the Arena District Low, stone walls forming a crisp border to the grand lawn, and double rows of red maples provides a natural dissolve into the surrounding urban fabric. Salvaged from the historic Union Station, the Daniel Burnham Arch is placed as a focal point of the design. MSI Design was responsible for all phases of design, originally proposing the park as a component of the Arena District Master Plan. As a direct result of this created greenspace, the value of adjacent development ground became substantially higher and progressed more quickly than market reports anticipated.
Contact:
City of Columbus Department of Recreation & Parks Mollie O’Donnell, Planning Administrator 614.645.3308
CREATING PUBLIC SPACES
CAPITAL UNIVERSITY REFLECTIONS FOUNTAIN
COLUMBUS COMMONS MASTER PLAN
NATIONWIDE ARENA DISTRICT
THE SCIOTO MILE
A. B. GRAHAM MEMORIAL PARK
SHORT NORTH HIGH STREET STREETSCAPE
CROCKER PARK
NORTH BANK PARK
MSI Design 462 South Ludlow Alley Columbus, Ohio 43215 614.621.2796 www.msidesign.com