| June 24, 2010 Our design considered the historical significance of the site, the need for an economically viable and reinvigorating project in the area, and the project's energy usage. Just south of the project site is Mill Hill Park, where American and British soldiers fought the first and second battles of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. The park is surrounded by unremarkable 10- to 12-story State office buildings to the north and west and the largely 19th-century Mill Hill National Historic District to the south. Gateways and a Welcoming Sign The design uses the existing brutalist concrete garage as an armature to hang a 4,000-square-feet LED sign to function simultaneously as an educational tool, historical marker, revenue generating entity, cultural amenity for art and theater events, outdoor movie theater and community billboard to welcome visitors into the historic core of Trenton, a 17th-century capital city. The design reconfigures the northwest entrance into Mill Hill Park as a pedestrian gateway into the downtown and into the park, which could be re-graded to accommodate amphitheater outdoor seating. The Park and Parking On the remainder of the parking garage's concrete shell, Mill Hill Park "extends" across Front Street onto the structure's facade in the form of a vertical garden. A red ribbon weaves around the building primary facades, morphing into different functions and uses, from a bus stop bench, roof canopy, retail signage, and a root base for a vertical garden. Activity Extension While the site is active on weekdays during commuting hours, it is virtually unused and empty on weekends and evenings. The proposals extends the hours of activity in and around the site. A flexible retail component with low overhead will encourage a variety of shop types and sizes to the downtown. Pedestrian Experience vs. a Sidewalk By extending the retail face south of the existing colonnade and reorganizing the main entry into the parking garage, the design increases the retail component from roughly 10,000 sf to 15,000 sf. Energy-Neutral Design The design proposes a solar array that takes advantage of the existing structure's East-West orientation and contributes toward an energy-neutral design solution for the project. KSS Architects estimates that the net profit from the array would be roughly half the total cost of construction for the entire project over a period of 25 years. KSS' design team comprises Steve Doyle, AIA, LEED AP, intern architects Katherine Heck, Danielle Matuch and Alicia Weaver, and partner Allan Kehrt, FAIA, LEED AP. |
| June 22, 2010 Each year, ICREW collects goods at one of its monthly meetings to donate to Operation Shoebox. The group wanted to further its commitment by volunteering man-hours at the Patriots game. Despite the Patriots' 8-4 loss to the Long Island Ducks, the volunteers had a blast meeting and serving fans. |
| June 11, 2010 The renowned Swiss architectural hardware designer and manufacturer Hawa AG made the 50-ft sliding glass door and wall system that includes curved 5-ft and 10-ft wide glass doors that slide into a fixed curved wall. The impressive system is now part of Hawa's online portfolio that showcases their products. Hawa's clean and quality hardware appears around the world and we are delighted our project is featured on their Web site. |
