Market Square: From Concept to Design 08
The Market Square, the Town, and the Planet
Published in the Stratford Gazette, 26 July 2012.
As interest increases in the revitalization of Stratford’s Market Square, we’re all thinking more carefully about the Plant Architect Inc. plan, and questions are being raised about it. To find out what that plan – and the model based on it – really mean and what they tell us, I talked to Laura Dent, an architect, urban planner, and long-standing member of the Market Square Project.
Laura explained that what we have is not a “design” but rather a “concept.” That’s quite a long way from a fully developed “design.”
The concept consisted first of drawings on paper. Based on them, the architects constructed the model, which most of us have seen by now and which is part of the “concept” stage of the process. This concept was the product of the architects’ first, free-flowing ideas. We heard at the Discovery Session on May 16th that Lisa Rapoport, one of the architects involved in creating the design, was hugely impressed with the Square’s potential, and the concept reflects what she and her colleagues visualized it becoming. The concept takes into account the buildings surrounding the Square, the slope of the ground, the dimensions of the space, the direction of the prevailing wind, the need for shade in summer, and many other factors. From this, the architects created drawings and then the model. However, it’s still little more than a preliminary sketch, presented in a form that could be entered in the 2007 international competition, of which this concept was the winner.
Moving from concept to design involves making decisions about innumerable details. The precise requirements and design of the infrastructure will have to be decided – the underground cistern and the plumbing connected with it. How high and wide will the water-wall be, and what will it be made of, and into what kind of container will the water fall? Laura visualizes that the sound of the water will be heard to the far end of the Square. This was something I had not realized, and I’m guessing that the sound of moving water will do much to give the revitalized Square its character and its atmosphere of peacefulness, of being an oasis in the middle of the city.
Sycamore trees were chosen because they’re good urban trees, but the spacing will have to be determined. As Lisa Rapoport said at the Discovery Session, the area around the trunk of each tree will be made of something very porous – to be decided still – so that the roots will get plenty of water. Infrastructure (plumbing) will be constructed so that in times of drought the trees can receive additional water from the cistern that feeds the water-wall. There will be lighting under and among the trees: what sort of lighting will it be?
The precise shape of the amphitheatre area will have to be decided: how high will the steps be, and precisely how will they be curved? Where exactly (to the nearest inch) will the oak tree be?
The paving of the Square will probably be brick: decisions will be made about which kind to use. This pavement will be laid so as to be comfortable for strollers, mobility scooters, and people with accessibility issues. There will be decisions about other aspects of accessibility for the handicapped and for people who come downtown by bus. Street furniture will be chosen or designed.
All those details, and innumerable others, have to be worked out before we have an actual design.Then blueprints will be made, and contracts will be signed with the companies and people who will do the work: engineers of various kinds, experts in transportation and public utilities, a landscape architect, perhaps an arborist.
Three major guidelines contribute to the process of creating the design. First, the Market Square is an urban space. It will be formal, with paving and with trees in rows. There are countless examples in other cities of formal public spaces; they work well and are an invaluable resource.
Second, it has to be designed to accommodate as many uses as possible. The ways in which the area was used in the past, and the events staged there in recent years, all give hints about how to revitalize it so that it will serve many purposes. The Market Square committee and other interested people constantly observe how those events work in the Square as it is now, and consider how they could work better in the revitalized Square.
Third, the architects will keep in mind the need for upkeep and maintenance. As with a house or garden, if maintenance is too difficult or expensive, the place will soon look run-down and unattractive.
The Market Square website gives everyone a chance to contribute to the process of moving from concept to design. Please visit http://www.stratfordmarketsquare.ca.
Laura E. Dent has lived in Stratford since 1996, and is an architect and registered professional planner. She is the principal of a consulting business – Dent Planning – that specializes in community planning and development with a focus on heritage, arts, and culturally related projects.
Brandis has lived in Stratford since 1996 and is a full-time writer. She is the author of a number of books – visit Marianne's website
Published in the Stratford Gazette, 26 July 2012.
As interest increases in the revitalization of Stratford’s Market Square, we’re all thinking more carefully about the Plant Architect Inc. plan, and questions are being raised about it. To find out what that plan – and the model based on it – really mean and what they tell us, I talked to Laura Dent, an architect, urban planner, and long-standing member of the Market Square Project.
Laura explained that what we have is not a “design” but rather a “concept.” That’s quite a long way from a fully developed “design.”
The concept consisted first of drawings on paper. Based on them, the architects constructed the model, which most of us have seen by now and which is part of the “concept” stage of the process. This concept was the product of the architects’ first, free-flowing ideas. We heard at the Discovery Session on May 16th that Lisa Rapoport, one of the architects involved in creating the design, was hugely impressed with the Square’s potential, and the concept reflects what she and her colleagues visualized it becoming. The concept takes into account the buildings surrounding the Square, the slope of the ground, the dimensions of the space, the direction of the prevailing wind, the need for shade in summer, and many other factors. From this, the architects created drawings and then the model. However, it’s still little more than a preliminary sketch, presented in a form that could be entered in the 2007 international competition, of which this concept was the winner.
Moving from concept to design involves making decisions about innumerable details. The precise requirements and design of the infrastructure will have to be decided – the underground cistern and the plumbing connected with it. How high and wide will the water-wall be, and what will it be made of, and into what kind of container will the water fall? Laura visualizes that the sound of the water will be heard to the far end of the Square. This was something I had not realized, and I’m guessing that the sound of moving water will do much to give the revitalized Square its character and its atmosphere of peacefulness, of being an oasis in the middle of the city.
Sycamore trees were chosen because they’re good urban trees, but the spacing will have to be determined. As Lisa Rapoport said at the Discovery Session, the area around the trunk of each tree will be made of something very porous – to be decided still – so that the roots will get plenty of water. Infrastructure (plumbing) will be constructed so that in times of drought the trees can receive additional water from the cistern that feeds the water-wall. There will be lighting under and among the trees: what sort of lighting will it be?
The precise shape of the amphitheatre area will have to be decided: how high will the steps be, and precisely how will they be curved? Where exactly (to the nearest inch) will the oak tree be?
The paving of the Square will probably be brick: decisions will be made about which kind to use. This pavement will be laid so as to be comfortable for strollers, mobility scooters, and people with accessibility issues. There will be decisions about other aspects of accessibility for the handicapped and for people who come downtown by bus. Street furniture will be chosen or designed.
All those details, and innumerable others, have to be worked out before we have an actual design.Then blueprints will be made, and contracts will be signed with the companies and people who will do the work: engineers of various kinds, experts in transportation and public utilities, a landscape architect, perhaps an arborist.
Three major guidelines contribute to the process of creating the design. First, the Market Square is an urban space. It will be formal, with paving and with trees in rows. There are countless examples in other cities of formal public spaces; they work well and are an invaluable resource.
Second, it has to be designed to accommodate as many uses as possible. The ways in which the area was used in the past, and the events staged there in recent years, all give hints about how to revitalize it so that it will serve many purposes. The Market Square committee and other interested people constantly observe how those events work in the Square as it is now, and consider how they could work better in the revitalized Square.
Third, the architects will keep in mind the need for upkeep and maintenance. As with a house or garden, if maintenance is too difficult or expensive, the place will soon look run-down and unattractive.
The Market Square website gives everyone a chance to contribute to the process of moving from concept to design. Please visit http://www.stratfordmarketsquare.ca.
Laura E. Dent has lived in Stratford since 1996, and is an architect and registered professional planner. She is the principal of a consulting business – Dent Planning – that specializes in community planning and development with a focus on heritage, arts, and culturally related projects.
Brandis has lived in Stratford since 1996 and is a full-time writer. She is the author of a number of books – visit Marianne's website