On Monday night, Princeton Council will discuss the winners of the design contest that was launched last year to identify potential replacements for the information kiosk on Nassau Street. (Report: “American Institute of Architects Launching Design Competition to Upgrade Princeton Information ‘Kiosks’“) The presentation has been published on the municipal website as part of the meeting packet, so we have a pretty good idea what designs are going to be winners. In the ‘professional’ category, the design shown above, by Studio Hillier, was the overall winner.
The Studio Hillier design is called “The Walk-Through“. The design features rooftop solar panels to power digital signs. It is described as “open, functional, and inviting. The central walkway encourages pedestrians to move through it instead of around it. This openness is important at such a high-traffic corner, drawing people in from all directions and making it easier to pause, look, and engage.”
Members of the public were also given a chance to weigh in on what kiosk design they liked the best, and they chose “The Pivot Point” by Corporate Design of America, P.C. (see image above). The hexagonal design is described as “thoughtfully composed and contextually attuned, it asserts its presence not through scale, but through clarity of purpose and architectural lineage.”
Other winners include Jonathan Chu & Jonathan Fenton of NJIT, who placed first in the ‘student’ category.
It remains to be seen what Council will do with the winning designs. The agenda for the Council meeting on Monday night also includes a planned discussion of Nassau Street improvements, which have been planned for many years. Removing the existing information kiosks has been considered an essential part of these improvements. Staff and Council members have suggested that the winner of the design contest could influence the choice of whatever replacement kiosk is added at the intersection with Vandeventer Avenue, in front of the Garden Theater movie house.
Related links:
walkableprinceton 