Archives

1. Mill City Museum

   Located within the ruined walls of the National Historic Landmark Washburn A Mill, the Mill City Museum focuses on the stories of flour milling, water power, railroading, food product development, grain trading, and farming, as well as the related people, labor, and immigrant stories. With multiple entries on two levels, the museum functions as a porous link between downtown Minneapolis and the river. A must-see addition to the riverfront’s menu of cultural attractions, the museum furthers the city’s vision of reconnecting to its birthplace at Saint Anthony Falls.

2. Madison Public Market

   Key goals for the project are to create architecture that supports food and vendor equity and promotes Madison’s program to eliminate barriers for entrepreneurship in disadvantaged populations; offer an environment that attracts commercial, recreational and social activities; and provide an authentic, inspiring, animated public place that welcomes the entire community. The project entails converting a municipal fleet services building into an open and vibrant community space. Exploring architecture’s role in food equity and business incubation, the design offers flexible spaces to support a variety of vendors sizes, services, and experiences to ensure individual and mutual economic success. The new market will incorporate advanced stormwater management strategies to reduce runoff in a flood-prone location, focusing on physical, social, and urban resilience. The project involved a robust community engagement process to ensure that diverse voices and perspectives were included. The process included a feedback loop to demonstrate how input was incorporated and meeting with focus groups and potential vendors.

3. Minnesota Children’s Museum

   A reorganized interior improves entry sequencing, ticketing, and circulation by moving the main entry from street level to skyway level where 80% of visitors arrive from a parking structure. A new central stair and elevator provide visually clear access to exhibit galleries from the main lobby. New colorful portals offer clear wayfinding to exhibit galleries, which provide neutral and flexible shell space for changing exhibits. The redesigned interior and exterior simplify the visual complexity of the original architecture to provide an orderly backdrop to the energetic chaos created by hundreds of kids engaging with highly interactive exhibits. Annual attendance at the museum has increased by 28% since reopening.

4. Open Book

   A renovation of three conventional, historical buildings, the center responds fully to the client’s goals by embracing budget limitations, the buildings’ existing conditions, and the missions of the three organizations. The design incorporates literal detailing and judicious editing in the lyrical composition and intervention of old and new.