Outcomes of the Charrette of 20 Feb 2010

The Event

• 10 hours @ the Art Academy

• Co-sponsored by AIA Cincinnati UDC, USGBC, and Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati

• Support from Cincinnati Preservation Association, ASHRAE, UC Niehoff Urban Studio, Art Academy

• About 200 participants

• Broad participation: designers, engineers, neighborhood residents, business owners, City staff, developer’s representatives, and others

Urban Design

Urban design is about making connections between people and places, movement and urban form, nature and the built fabric. Urban design draws together the many strands of place-making, environmental stewardship, social equity and economic viability into the creation of places with distinct beauty and identity. Urban design is derived from but transcends planning and transportation policy, architectural design, development economics, engineering and landscape. It draws these and other strands together creating a vision for an area and then deploying the resources and skills needed to bring the vision to life.

"Urban design and city building are surely among the most auspicious endeavors of this or any age, giving rise to a vision of life, art, artifact and culture that outlives its authors. It is the gift of its designers and makers to the future.”

From www.urbandesign.org/urbandesign.html

• For the Urban Scale:

• The Casino will be a major venue within a constellation of arts, leisure and entertainment destinations in the Tri-State Metro area – including visual arts (e.g. museums, galleries) performing art s (e.g. theaters) parks (e.g. Sawyer Point) and the complementary amenities (e.g. hotels, restaurants, retailers, etc.).

• For The Building Scale:

• The physical nature of the Casino should enhance the neighborhood experience for the city’s citizens and visitors.

• For Energy and the Environment:

• The Casino should be designed, constructed and operated to minimize its impact on the environment.

• For a Quality of Life:

• The Casino should make the City of Cincinnati a better place for residents, stakeholders, and visitors.

Four Mission Statements

Physical Connectivity

•Designed to allow literal connections via various forms of transportation including pedestrianism, mass transit (streetcar and bus) and passenger vehicles.

•Designed to embrace the fabric of streets around it.

•Consider reintroduction of the street network through the site

Transportation and

Infrastructure

Public realm improvements that accommodate multiple transit options and that encourage pedestrian traffic in the blocks surrounding the casino.

Terminated Vistas

People on streets surrounding the casino should have vistas (of the casino) that are celebrated.

Sequences of Arrival and

Entries

• One grand, ceremonial entry, along with several entrances that work on smaller pedestrian scales.

• Entries at street level – not buried within a parking garage.

Public Placemaking

Create great public places (urban plazas and / or greens) that provide places for casual and formal gatherings, civic events and public art.

Functions & Programming

• Make them operationally independent and supportive of the greater Cincinnati constellation of arts / entertainment and business network

• Place ancillary arts & entertainment venues, such as shops and restaurants, within the casino at edges of the complex and design them to engage surrounding streets.

The Casino Design form should take cues from the geologic condition of the basin and valley.Geologic Context

Massing

• Designed with smaller scale along Reading Road, larger scale toward the south and east.

• Designed to rebuild the urban corridors of the perimeter roads, re-creating a pedestrian scaled environment.

Architectural Compatibility & Context

• Compatible with the scale of the surrounding neighborhood.

• Designed as a special, iconic place.

Materiality

• The materials should be sustainable (e.g. – regionally available and from renewable resources if possible).

• They should be long-lasting and of a high quality that evokes a sense of permanence.

• The materials should have an aesthetic and contextual vitality.

• The building should be clad in materials, such as glass, that reinforce a visual and functional connection with the neighborhood.

Landscape

• Utilize ample vegetation to mitigate noise, heat island effects and storm water runoff at the Casino and throughout the Casino district.

• Use street trees to create a pleasant pedestrian experience.

• Develop Reading Road as a planted boulevard.

Parking

• Disburse parking among blocks near the casino.

• Conceal on-site parking and incorporate shared-parking strategies to avoid an over-supply of, or redundant parking.

Sustainability

• As a large highly visible project, the Casino should become a model for best practices in sustainable design – a “Green Beacon”.

• Utilize best practices for water efficiency and stormwater management.

• Incorporate simple design options such as skylights and light wells to reduce the need for utility usage.

Safety

• Design the casino to activate the streets and sidewalks going around, to and through the site, with glass and points of entry to place ‘eyes on the street’.

• Design and operate the casino to encourage the exploration of downtown and Over-the-Rhine through programming, way-finding and pedestrian connectivity.

GOAL: The 1st Great Urban Casino in the US!