CENTREPOINTERENDERER
The CentrePointe project has become a little like the black sheep of the family that everyone sits around the dinner table dissing, examining and re-examining in disapproving tones. Hardly a social conversation or online chat has occurred locally that didn’t roll out opinions on the current state of the project. To be fair, as armchair quarterbacks, we rarely have all the facts or expertise to make entirely informed opinions. The project has encountered myriad issues, of which financing, the economic downturn and intense design requirements are but a few. On the other hand, many Lexingtonians urge, “Enough already; let’s build something.”
Excitement certainly seems to be ramping up as the latest design is unfurled and a view is finally emerging that puts the past behind and moves toward the future.
Building on the master plan created by Chicago architect Jeanne Gang and her team at Studio Gang, local architecture firm EOP has completed a proposal for the larger part of the development (720,000 square feet, not counting an underground parking garage) that encompasses a hotel that is slated to be a JW Marriott with more than 200 rooms, a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, a 37,000-square-foot event terrace and a rooftop pool and garden. The design also includes 73,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space including a street-level sidewalk café. Also in the design are condominiums (including six penthouse units), apartments, and 78,000 square feet of office space. Fitness group Urban Active and restaurants Saul Good and Jeff Ruby’s have already committed to locate at CentrePointe, and many inquiries and negotiations are in the works for more. A growing list of residences is also being reserved, and this heart of downtown location will undoubtedly be very desirable once it is completed. The current design was recently presented to The Webb Companies, the developers of CentrePointe, and a first public meeting was held to introduce the design. An interesting and unique part of the plan for the block was the selection of three additional architects to collaborate on the buildings that will line Main Street. The idea is to introduce different design elements into the large project and to harken back to Lexington’s earlier development that was created over time by many different designers and styles. Each “guest architect” will design a separate building, bringing their own individuality to the project. Designs from EOP, Pohl Rosa Pohl, CSC, and Biagi were selected for Main Street.
There will continue to be tweaks as a public meeting is held and more tenants for the buildings come on board, but the essential design and footprint are complete and are receiving good reviews. CentrePointe lead architects, EOP, and the other architecture firms have never worked together before. The challenge each faces has been to design a building for the Main Street portion of the development that speaks to the needs of today’s downtown resident, shopper and tourist. That design must be many things to many people while still acknowledging the
historic structures that surround the area. It is a challenge they have embraced, bringing singular expertise and style to the project.
Meet each of the architects involved:
EOP Architecture and Interiors
Rick Ekhoff, principal
Brent Bruner, principal
201 W. Short St., Lexington, Ky.
In business since 1981
How were you chosen to come in as the lead architects on the project?
Rick Ekhoff: We were originally one of the firms chosen as a guest architect for the Main Street buildings when Studio Gang was putting together the master plan. We were also doing a building for Urban Active, a fitness company we do a lot of design work for that is going to build a great new facility, a four-story, sky-lit space planned for the development so we were pretty involved from the beginning. We were later asked to come up with a workable design for the overall project in addition to the Main Street piece. We debated whether or not to take it on. This project has endured a lot of scrutiny, but ultimately we felt it was important for the project to move forward, and we wanted to be part of that.
How did you come up with yourdesign? What are some of yourinspirations?
RE: Our Urban Active building pays tribute to Kentucky’s landscape of trees along creeks and rivers. That building will have a tree house feel to it. For the overall project, a litmus test for us is to answer the questions: Is the place made better? Is there design excellence? Is it transformative? This project will have a huge impact on downtown. Our office is located downtown; it’s our home. That is very inspiring to us. The project has evolved and keeps getting better. That’s the silver lining of this process having taken so long. Much has been learned. We built on some of the strengths of the master plan, refined some ideas and developed others of our own.
How do you feel about the collaboration with three other architects on the Main Street portion? What are the benefits?
RE: It’s an important piece. The collaboration replicates the evolution of the buildings across the street, which were built over time from the late 1800s into the next century by a series of different architects. We, as designers, are meant to reflect what went before in the neighboring blocks providing a tapestry of architectural vocabulary. A high point for us is getting to work with the tremendous local talent we have here in Lexington. This project has energized our firm. We know how important a challenge this is and we embrace it.
Brent Bruner: Our relationships with the other architects have built over time. We can play off each other. We have guidelines, and we are working closely with the Courthouse Design Review Board and others not to exactly replicate the past but to complement it. We don’t want each Main Street building to look alike, but they need to relate. Each will be unique but yet possessing a connection.
What will this add to downtown? What responsibility does architecture have?
RE: It will add lots of pedestrian life with apartments and townhouses, a hotel, retail, restaurants, etc. More people downtown is good for business and safety. Lots of windows and glass walls provide transparency and the ultimate pedestrian experience all at the proper scale. We want to provide wow factor.
BB: We want it to speak to a town that loves its history but that looks forward to the future.
What would you like people to know about this project that perhaps they don’t know?
RE: The Webb brothers have pushed hard for this to be a world-class project. They
want this for Lexington, and they are willing to take enormous financial risk to see it through. A lot has happened over the years that has had impact on the development, but we really feel the time is now. What will a completed CentrePointe bring to Lexington?
RE: More international level events will come to our city. The design provides for expanded hotel space, much larger than the earlier design, with a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, meeting space, pre-event space, 78,000 square feet of new office space and a 45-foot sky-lit gallery with lots of new retail added to downtown and new restaurants and cafés.
BB: The ground floor will provide sidewalk cafes and a rooftop garden café. There will be a lot of pedestrian traffic going on. Each street will have great energy and access to all CentrePointe brings. Lexington has a lot of pride in its historic structures.
What do you think CentrePointe will mean 100 years from now when it is considered a historic structure?
RE: We better do it right! We are focused on what it means now, but if we do it right it, will have a long shelf life. There is definitely an accountability attached to this project, a responsibility to create a greater level of excellence that will stand up over time.
Biagi
David Biagi
541 Main St., Shelbyville, Ky.
In business since 1956
Have you ever heard of a collaboration of four architects like this?
David Biagi: Certainly not in this part of the country. Other places in the world have used a similar model, mostly in urban environments, using individual designs but throughout the city, like a campus of separate buildings. Many architects designing spaces all connected on a single block like this is very unique.
What was it like to be selected?
DB: To want to make a difference in the community is a main reason to want to be involved. Also it is great to be part of what is going on in your time.
How has your experience been so far?
DB: From the beginning, from the selection on, it has been incredibly fair and thoughtful. The priority for everyone has been the project. We have been asked to be at our best. We have never been asked to compromise our designs; not given carte blanche, but we’ve been asked to think about how best to solve problems in working out these designs pragmatically and poetically at the same time. Lexington has great architectural history.
How do you feel about being part of that in 100 years?
DB: There is a past history to be honored, and I want a trace of that to remain in my design, but I also want an underlying framework to be timeless.
What is the challenge of this project?
DB: Part of the challenge as a guest architect is the mixed-use requirements. There will be retail and residential, and it will be on Main Street. We are developing a prototype for urban buildings on Main Street that will interact with and enliven the city. That’s a challenge, but if you are in this profession, it is a challenge you enjoy.
What would you like people to know about your design and what you are doing?
DB: We are investigating what works and what doesn’t work for Main Street and for Lexington. My structure is right next to a 45-foot sky-lit gallery that will have retail shops and a lot of foot traffic. I want to create dialogue between my building and that opening. I want there to be different ways to interact with the street. My design has different views and access to the street whether you are on the street level or interacting with it from another view, like a balcony or an opening to the roof terrace. The interior of the residences have views and opportunities to engage the street from the living room area as well as the dining room.
What is your inspiration?
DB: I’ve tried to take a lot of cues from the buildings across the street. I am referencing some of the surrounding buildings that are very iconic.
What do you think this project means for Lexington?
DB: The best case scenario is we create a framework with the ability to transform now and to continue to transform. We don’t know yet what the building will be used for, but we hope it can adapt to whatever the needs are. A building can represent time and sustainability and address how people interact. To have a stable and vibrant downtown, you need a volume of people. You need appropriate scale; no voids, no dead zones. This brings better safety, more events, action and opportunities. The residences and businesses that will occupy these buildings when completed will bring a very busy, vibrant energy to downtown.
CSC Design Studio
5675 Kiddville Lane, Lexington, Ky.
Richard Levine, principal
Michael Hughes, associate
In business since 1974
How did you come to be involved?
Richard Levine: We have to credit master plan designer Jeanne Gang with the idea for the collaboration of local architects. It was a good plan to diversify the look of the development — better than one firm doing it all. It emulates the older structures downtown that were also designed by several different architects but over a more stretched out period of time. To the Webbs’ credit, they continued with great support for the idea.
What did it feel like to be chosen?
RL: We submitted a proposal, and we were thrilled when our design was chosen. Only five were chosen from more than 20 submissions. I taught architecture and design at the University of Kentucky for 46 years as well as having my own design career producing buildings. I feel like we got selected on the basis of past work and our diverse design. Of course, after we were selected, it got trickier! A lot of work, a lot of hours have gone into this. We have worked seven days a week since January. I think we all agree it has been an interesting challenge.
Michael Hughes: Our design has evolved a lot in response to the preliminary review of the project.
RL: Our designs have been unconventional. I respect all the approaches, but we have taken a different approach. However, we still want to be sensitive to all the input from all the stakeholders: the Courthouse Design Review Board, the Downtown Development Authority, Mayor Gray and the Webb group.
How is the collaboration going?
RL: Very well! All the architects are meeting each week for some constructive critique. We have become closer. Some of the people on the project are my former students, which is a very interesting dynamic. The input from the group has changed our design for the better. In some ways we are each designing one building, and in some ways we are all designing all four buildings as each of the buildings connect and interact with each other through floors and roofs. It’s a great project to be involved with. What is unique about your building? RL: From the outset ours is different. It is the smallest, as we have only three floors. That changes proportions and other things. We are shouldered in between two bigger buildings. We have a roof garden that is going to be very interesting. We have embraced our unique space and very much like what we have come up with for our design.
What inspired your design?
RL: We think about sustainability and low energy use first of all. Then the rhythm of the downtown both old and new provides inspiration and guidance. We hope if you looked hard you couldn’t pin down exactly when our design was created. It’s fair to say also that the collective response of the other architects involved has also influenced the design, in addition to imagining prospective tenants. Flat windows on a flat façade provide a restricted experience with downtown. We have designed both inward terraces for a protected outdoor experience and balconies for a larger, wider view. We were inspired to provide a variety of experiences and ways for people to interact with the environment and visually the exposed and recessed balconies have a sort of musical interplay.
What is the biggest challenge?
RL: It is something of a challenge to design a building and the interior space without knowing the occupant. We have to make it work. These are 2012 designs, contemporary designs with no apologies for that, but also designed being conscious of and responsible to the past. We want the existing downtown buildings from the past and our building to have a conversation and dance with each other. There can’t be a completely modern vernacular that ignores what it is and where it is. There is a rich architectural past to draw from, and we utilized that for our design. We hope we have helped take the established Lexington vernacular a step beyond.
What do think will be said about this in the next 100 years?
RL: Architects are always learning from other architects. We are using elements that are old and new. We tip our hat to what’s already there and add some new. We hope we are providing something architects can build on in the next 100 years.
MH: It’s our goal to design something that is modern and timeless that will age well on Main Street.
Pohl Rosa Pohl
620 Euclid Ave., Lexington, Ky.
Graham Pohl
In business since 1992
Have you ever heard of this kind of collaboration among architects?
Graham Pohl: It’s unusual and totally different, and as far as I know has not been done in any major American city quite like this. It is an important set of buildings with a very defined urban context. Urban infill is always a challenge and very interesting from a design standpoint. It’s working out quite well. You would assume competition among us, but that has not been the case. We are each making an effort to bring our own individuality to the project but also working closely together and sharing a lot in weekly meetings. We are all very open to this collaboration and welcome input. It’s very helpful, and I think will benefit the overall outcome. The Webb brothers have been involved as well, which has also been helpful. Their input has been offered with respect for each of us and with a spirit of enthusiasm.
How did you become involved?
GP: An RFQ (request for qualifications) was issued with the main requirement being you had to be a registered architect living and working in Kentucky. We submitted a design for one of the Main Street buildings, and we were chosen. The challenges this project offers are the most interesting kind of architecture. This is what a lot of our work is about so we were happy to be selected.
What have been some of the challenges for your design?
GP: The context we are dealing with is quite profound. The surrounding area represents some amazing historic architecture. We have to consider the proportions and details of surrounding buildings. We have a responsibility to those buildings. Our design is a deliberate blend of traditional and contemporary forms. We’ve done a lot of work with historic structures. We understand the balancing act required to interpret that but to also give it its own identity.
What kind of constraints and guidelines have you had to consider or follow?
GP: We are being asked to comply with the Courthouse Area Design Review Board’s guidelines. I see this as a positive. These guidelines are inspirational sources of ideas and considerations. It serves our culture to be intelligent about how to make our environment. The review of these guidelines has moved the projects to a better place.
What were some of your inspirations?
GP: There are multiple influences — strong traditional forms and expressions of contemporary architectural language. The McAdams & Morford building across the street is one of the best examples of a cast iron building anywhere. That building and others along Main Street have very strong, predominant characteristics and strong visual cues that we sort of riffed on like the vertical windows that are repeated and create a rhythmic façade.
What do you see as potential strengths and weaknesses in downtown development?
GP: There are already too many “missing teeth” in our downtown, so building out this block is important to the nature of downtown. There is great value in developing downtown rather than the perimeter of the city. We need to preserve our agricultural lands, and a dense development at CentrePointe will help to serve this objective. I think this project represents a turning point. Valuing design excellence has not always been part of our awareness or behavior, but on this project it is a priority.
What do you hope your design says in 100 years?
GP: I want people to recognize a sensitive but expressive work with a clearly good, positive influence on the street, friendly to its neighbors but with a very distinctive voice.
What do you want visitors and residents to see and take away from this development?
GP: Two things: We want it to say it is a respectful member of the community but also that this is a hip community, too.