Target Field Station (the Hotel) & Target Field Station (the Station)

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woofner
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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby woofner » June 27th, 2012, 1:30 pm

Alright that looks like a great space, and a huge improvement over what's there. Still, there is much more public open space than is necessary. They could develop the area closest to HERC and still have the aesthetic core of their open space as well as a large space for programming and waiting areas, but in addition have visual screening of HERC, more of a neighborhood feel for Target Field, and density to fill the space when there isn't a game on.

The space I'm talking about that could be developed is in this rough site plan from a January presentation - basically it's the peninsular annex of pink space in the bottom right, between HERC and the stadium.
interchange overview.JPG
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Jfuss
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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby Jfuss » June 29th, 2012, 8:57 pm

Are the Northstar Platforms still in the plans for The Interchange?

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby Jfuss » June 29th, 2012, 9:01 pm

Here are a few more renderings I found of the proposed Northstar Platform...

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby mplser » June 29th, 2012, 11:48 pm

I thought that was supposed to be the inter-city rail platform? and what is that big box?

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby mulad » June 30th, 2012, 3:58 am

As I've said, that's Phase 2. The building shown there is highly speculative -- of no more real meaning than all of the Vikings stadium renderings we've seen over the years. However, they do kind of show how the plan is to build "fingers" extending northeast from 5th Street over the trench with escalators/stairs/elevators connecting people to the platforms below.

Also note how the LRT tracks are shifted to the opposite side of 5th Street -- I have no idea if that will actually happen, but it had been suggested. Yet another one of those things that begs the question "why didn't they do this right in the first place?"

I hope they don't build something all-glass like that since it wolud just turn into a greenhouse and would practically require employees to wear sunscreen...

Not sure about the big box -- the city wants a sizable parking ramp to be connected to the station, despite the proximity of the ABC ramps, so that could be a structure incorporating that. Hines (developers of the Dock Street Apartments) owns the land currently used for surface parking lots, and they have plans to put a tower somewhere in the area eventually.

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby writruth » June 30th, 2012, 12:15 pm

The transparent glass canopy over the rail trench removes the potential mausoleum effect that could be viewed as a foreboding impediment to rail use.

The heights of the surrounding buildings will also limit the amount of direct sunlight this structure receives during summer months. I doubt there will be any complaints about direct sunlight during September-April. Also, 3M has a film coating that can be applied to the glass to minimize the harsh effects. I think the film coating can also be used to capture solar power which would make this a model for sustainability.

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby min-chi-cbus » June 30th, 2012, 2:24 pm

Actually, I for one would WELCOME a greenhouse of sorts in highly public areas that could be enjoyed during the coldest winter months -- kind of a retreat from winter by stepping through a door! They could do this with the skyways as well and/or incorporate it into an indoor swimming area where you can feel tropical heat all year long. Don't know how possible this is but it COULD be fun for some people.

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby ECtransplant » June 30th, 2012, 2:38 pm

Actually, I for one would WELCOME a greenhouse of sorts in highly public areas that could be enjoyed during the coldest winter months -- kind of a retreat from winter by stepping through a door! They could do this with the skyways as well and/or incorporate it into an indoor swimming area where you can feel tropical heat all year long. Don't know how possible this is but it COULD be fun for some people.
And when it's 97 degrees with 80% humidity?

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby mulad » June 30th, 2012, 6:24 pm

Yeah, I'm sure the problem of heat/UV can be mitigated to an extent with magic films of this type or another. I'm not sure you need anything so exotic for solar, though -- even regular panels can be transluscent, like at Como Park's EV charging stations:

Image
img_5432 by Mulad, on Flickr

Laid out in an intelligent way, rows of panels could look pretty neat at this site since the building is rotated at a 45-degree angle. But having tall buildings nearby can cause issues and really reduce their usefulness.

I wouldn't mind having bands or strips of glass in the ceiling, but doing the whole thing with clear glass still feels like overkill.

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby min-chi-cbus » June 30th, 2012, 9:15 pm

Actually, I for one would WELCOME a greenhouse of sorts in highly public areas that could be enjoyed during the coldest winter months -- kind of a retreat from winter by stepping through a door! They could do this with the skyways as well and/or incorporate it into an indoor swimming area where you can feel tropical heat all year long. Don't know how possible this is but it COULD be fun for some people.
And when it's 97 degrees with 80% humidity?
....Open the windows.

writruth
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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby writruth » June 30th, 2012, 10:22 pm

http://stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com/

Scroll midway down the above link to find more details, along with a beautiful twilight rendering, of the approved Interchange. It describes the transit center as the centerpiece of an bustling urban park. It also fleshes out two attractive features, the first being the area dubbed "The Great Lawn," described as a large green, all-purpose 'stage.'

The other area called "The Cascade" is described as a free, open-space amphitheater for concerts and informal gatherings. Steam energy from the adjacent HERC will be used in the winter to melt ice and snow for the walkways that will link Target Field, the transit boarding area to a sprawling streetscape with outdoor cafes.

Also, intriguing is the the wedge-shaped image of a 7-story North Loop Hotel, with two green roofs. Not clear whether a developer has committed to building this in the future or whether it is purely speculative. But in any event, this project expands the reach of the warehouse district bars and restaurants, makes an ideal place to grab cocktails and a bite before a game and is shaping up to be an attractive cornerstone of expanded "No-Lo" aka North Loop development. It is scheduled to open in March 2014.

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby seanrichardryan » June 30th, 2012, 11:10 pm

" ....Open the windows"

Mechanical engineers have no idea what you're talking about.
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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby tabletop » July 1st, 2012, 6:53 am

Not sure if if this belongs in this thread but I feel like this idea is an ugly duckling with nowhere to go...

I think a Light Rail extension should be incorporated with the "Interchange" up to Broadway and Lyndale. Wouldn't be that far to go and I doubt it would cost that much to build. The Met Council extended the Hiawatha line to the Twins stadium for the Twins, and everyone talks about how revitalizing Broadway and North Minneapolis is really important and more people take transit to North than the Twins Stadium on a daily basis. Since the Bottineau line is going to be fleeing North Minneapolis on hwy 55, lets connect the "interchange" to Broadway! It could be a major transfer point for buses going North and Northeast and would connect the most transit users to the Central Corridor, South West Corridor and Bottineau. You could take a train from the hawthorn neighborhood and potentially end up in Bryn-mar or Harrison with only one transfer at the "interchange" or continue on to the U of M, Saint Paul, Lake Street, the Air Port or the Mall (better yet, you could take the light rail to Broadway and Lyndale!). And it wouldn't be politically risky either because that stretch of Lyndale has no houses that use it as their primary means of access for the front door. The station could be in the parking lot next to cub foods so it doesn't disrupt traffic at the intersection and could be a great base for future transit expansion into the northside whether it be light rail or street car. I know it would be a little late to tack this onto the construction but I think it would be some kind of magic bullet the city keeps talking about wanting to find.

Sorry, bit of a rant

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby mullen » July 2nd, 2012, 9:29 am


min-chi-cbus
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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby min-chi-cbus » July 2nd, 2012, 9:59 am

http://stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com/

Scroll midway down the above link to find more details, along with a beautiful twilight rendering, of the approved Interchange. It describes the transit center as the centerpiece of an bustling urban park. It also fleshes out two attractive features, the first being the area dubbed "The Great Lawn," described as a large green, all-purpose 'stage.'

The other area called "The Cascade" is described as a free, open-space amphitheater for concerts and informal gatherings. Steam energy from the adjacent HERC will be used in the winter to melt ice and snow for the walkways that will link Target Field, the transit boarding area to a sprawling streetscape with outdoor cafes.

Also, intriguing is the the wedge-shaped image of a 7-story North Loop Hotel, with two green roofs. Not clear whether a developer has committed to building this in the future or whether it is purely speculative. But in any event, this project expands the reach of the warehouse district bars and restaurants, makes an ideal place to grab cocktails and a bite before a game and is shaping up to be an attractive cornerstone of expanded "No-Lo" aka North Loop development. It is scheduled to open in March 2014.
I'd like to take your "No-Lo" and turn it into "No-Lu", since that sounds more like North Loop to me AND it's a tad less cliche than ALL the other No-ho, so-hu, bo-bu, stupid-ass district names every city in this country is trying to come up with that make sense to only a few people (yes, I hate those names!).

min-chi-cbus
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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby min-chi-cbus » July 2nd, 2012, 10:00 am

" ....Open the windows"

Mechanical engineers have no idea what you're talking about.
Haha, maybe I'll have to ask one! Just seemed like the common sense thing to do.

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woofner
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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby woofner » July 2nd, 2012, 11:30 am

I think a Light Rail extension should be incorporated with the "Interchange" up to Broadway and Lyndale. Wouldn't be that far to go and I doubt it would cost that much to build.
Or at least they should be designing the Interchange so that a BRT station could be incorporated later. It sounds like common sense will fail and Bottineau will be built as LRT, but freeway BRT would logically run on Hwy 55 and I-94 and connect to the Interchange, then proceed through downtown. I've seen no indication that the facility is being built to accommodate that.
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writruth
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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby writruth » July 2nd, 2012, 11:37 am

I'm good with "No-Lu."

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby Jfuss » July 2nd, 2012, 11:42 am

Does the current Target Field LRT station stay, or does The Interchange now become the Target Field stop?

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Re: The Interchange (At Target Field)

Postby Andrew_F » July 2nd, 2012, 12:44 pm

Does the current Target Field LRT station stay, or does The Interchange now become the Target Field stop?
The current platforms stay, though I believe the entire TF Station complex is being rebranded as part of The Interchange. The current platforms will be where either the Blue or Green line will stop, and the other line will stop at the new platform.


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