CC Minutes - 10/18/06 Workshop - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Doug Macy, also on the design team, said there was an opportunity in this project to add to the “richness” of the open space in Eugene. He commented that the open space would have to be thoughtfully done as the building would not be a “24-hour building.” He related that the Park Blocks master plan committee suggested that there be an active “programmable” space for all of the events and activities of the community and that this might possibly be associated with City Hall. Mr. Hacker showed conceptual design sketches of the building footprint and mass. He commented that the circular structure of the Council Chamber appealed to the design team as a symbolic element that denoted a sense of the importance of democracy in the City. Design team member Ellen Teninty facilitated the discussion. Mr. Papé asked if the drawings incorporated the concepts that the team brought up before. Mr. Hacker affirmed that the team had done so, including the sun and wind angles that were discussed. He said the design team was seeking the council’s feedback on the relationship of the buildings. Mr. Hacker reviewed the options for whole block and half-block designs and designs that included or excluded the police patrol. He noted that the ground floor square footage needs for the Eugene Police Department (EPD) for a combined design would be 30,000 and without the patrol it was 10,000 square feet. Mr. Hacker said one assumption was that one of the main drivers for the designs was sustainability. He explained that the designs attempted to increase the amount of façade that faced north or south and to decrease the façade that faced west or east. In response to a question from Ms. Bettman, Mr. Hacker stated that the overall volume for the half-block and full-block designs was essentially the same. Suggesting the potential that police/essential services portions were sandwiched together with the rest of the building, Mr. Pape asked whether more of the building must be designed to a different seismic requirement than if police was side-by-side with the other functions. Mr. Hacker said that design team found it was essentially impossible to stack police in a separate block and still meet the goals of efficiency, public access, and sustainability. Mr. Papé liked the Park Blocks option the design team discussed previously because it provided access to that park and because of its proximity to the open area by the Hult Center for the Performing Arts (HCPA) and the convention center. He asked if there was a scheme that would have an open area running diagonally through the site to the open area by the HCPA. Mr. Hacker said it was possible. He noted that he had just visited a new public library in Minneapolis that featured this design element. Ms. Taylor thought the Police Department should be separate from the rest of the City Hall function. She wondered, if there was a separate station, why the court could not be with it. Principle Facility Project Manager Mike Penwell replied that it was possible, but the process on which the council and design team embarked led to this point in the design work. Regarding the half-block option that included patrol, Ms. Taylor felt it would seem more like one was going into a “police station” rather than a city hall. MINUTES—City Council October 18, 2006 Page 2 Workshop