As the master developer for the Uptown Innovation Corridor, Uptown Consortium, Inc. (UCI) engaged international planning and design firm Sasaki to create a master plan for the Corridor predicated on the goal of developing an active, well-connected mixed-use district. Master plans visualize a holistic urban environment where small and large companies co-locate to collaborate with one another and with the Uptown anchor institutions. These plans guide UCI’s work with its development partners to realize its vision for a world-class innovation district.
The plan is built on three design principles, which are the focus of this series: Great Streets, Great Spaces and Great Places.
“The design principles serve as ways to communicate with the developers, institutions, community and the city what the aspirations are for this Corridor and what the look and feel of it should be,” said Fred Merrill, principal, Sasaki.
The Great Places principle includes five components:
1. Density
Concentrate density on priority sites to create a vibrant, complete place at each phase of development. Close proximity between buildings and developments helps create walkable environments and increases opportunities for collaboration between tenants and residents.
2. Mixed-use
Include a combination of office, research, retail, residential and hotel uses within individual buildings and along blocks to activate the sites, maximize investment and balance land use. Three of the four developments in the Corridor are designed to be mixed-use: Uptown Gateway by Terrex Development & Construction and Messer Construction, the node by MLK Investors I, and Queen City Hills LLC’s development.
3. Identity
Ensure a unified Uptown identity along primary streets through streetscape and public realm design while encouraging complementary design within individual developments and buildings. One of the primary goals of UCI’s master planning efforts is to create a cohesive identity throughout the Corridor.
4. Transparency
Buildings should be of high quality, modern design that reflect the image of the Corridor. Designs should include transparency, shading, form, materials and other elements that link indoor and outdoor spaces and create a vibrant urban character. Initial renderings of Uptown Gateway and the node include modern, transparent designs to help set the tone for Corridor developments.
5. Transition
Address residential neighborhood edges with complementary scale, program, and character. It’s important that the Corridor seamlessly transitions into the surrounding neighborhood to ensure that the development fits into the community. When looking at development designs and proposals, UCI always considers how the development’s edges work into the surrounding area.
“We’re trying to make all of this add up to a great place that has great spaces and great streets, so the streets and the spaces kind of make the place,” said Merrill.
Over the next several years, these design principles will become more visible as developments come to life. This month, Terrex Development & Construction and Messer Construction began construction on Uptown Gateway with the goal to complete the first phase of development by fall 2021.
For more information about the Corridor, visit www.uptowninnovationcorridor.com.