Proposal
from The Druker Company
Urban Design and Architecture
Preservation
The proposed design calls for the retention and rehabilitation of the
Firdous and Chinese Laundry Buildings, as is depicted in the graphic presentations.
The decision to retain these structures is driven by programmatic and
urban design factors. In making these decisions, The Druker Company retained
the firm of Benjamin D. Rickey & Co. of Columbus, regarding the re-use
of these historic structures.
The restored Chinese Laundry facade will serve as the entrance to University Student Services, maximizing its use and exposure. The Firdous building facade will be restored and will serve as retail at street level. The scale, proportions and structural bay rhythm of these buildings, as well as the surrounding historic context establish the planning parameters for University Gateway.
In the urban design context, retention of the two older buildings is an important consideration. As can be seen in the elevations, the urban design vocabulary for all the new construction in the project is derived from the precedents set by structures such as the Firdous and Chinese Laundry buildings. In scale, massing, form, height and architectural design, the new construction takes major design cues from traditional urban commercial architecture: long, continuous streetscapes of side-by-side glass storefronts placed in a common setback; a lively variety of facade design with a wide range of architectural elements; separation of facades into discrete "storefront" units that read as pedestrian-scale multiple facades; and building heights that support the perception of the district as an intimate pedestrian environment which is friendly and inviting. A primary goal of the design is to avoid the "blank walls" that have grown in the district over time‹formerly fully-glazed storefronts that have been infilled with various opaque materials, destroying the connection between inside and outside and making the streetscape considerably less attractive as a pedestrian environment.
The design proposal employs a traditional approach to design in its residential components, as well. The placement of residential units on upper floors is a long tradition in urban areas large and small, and the rows of modestly-scaled attached residential units on 11th and 9th Avenues also follow typical late 19th and early 20th century design.
Rehabilitation and reuse of the Firdous and Chinese Laundry building
facades as part of the extensive new construction in the project present
an opportunity for an exciting blend of old and new, and for traditional
urban design to be a primary driving force in the district development.
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