Location: Hamilton, Ohio
Original Completion Date: February 2010
This is the second of two 3D model projects for Route 4 shopping centers. The other model, Hamilton Plaza (wrap up found here, follow up here), was completed before this one. Overall, for Hamilton Crossings I wanted to keep some consistency with Hamilton Plaza while still trying some design and facility variations.
Before (or really what's currently there)
Hamilton Crossings is a very short distance from Hamilton Plaza and like it, its typical part and parcel of strip mall development. Buildings are set far back from the street to allow for parking, and incidentally Hamilton Crossings is set back even further, enough to allow some drive thru businesses on lots that actually front Route 4. Now for a closer look.
How very far back and out of the way...
Like I said, Hamilton Crossings is setback from the main road and served via an access drive complete with towering signage, but each time I see it, those items stand out more than last viewing. Granted, Route 4 and many of the businesses on it are heavily auto-oriented, but this still led to questionable development patterns, shifting uses and businesses, and unfortunately decline (perhaps a post for the future).
The Model:
A "before" mock up
This might have been mentioned before, but the "before" portion of the modeling captures the general void and empty space such developments yield. There are two larger structures serving as "anchors" at the very rear, an attached ancillary building and a stand-alone ancillary building, all of which are set as far back as possible to make room for the almighty parking log. On another note, said parking lot shows only 25% capacity being used, at best; leaving a large portion of unoccupied space.
Model, "After"
This will be a general overview of the model, while a future post will go into the details.
Six proposed buildings are in the parking lot. Four buildings use the access to the business to form a main street like feel, much like Hamilton Plaza, while two other buildings provide a few more uses to the development while maintaining connectivity through crosswalks and walkways The buildings have a variety of businesses to help support the shopping center and add more shopping choices for residents and visitors. Landscaping and site amenities are numerous while the parking lot has fairly minimal revisions.
Next Post - Part 2 of Hamilton Crossings
No comments:
Post a Comment