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Originally Posted by me
Good stuff. I have some nits here and there (see below), but on the whole I like it. The only space I'm particularly unhappy about is the kinetic plaza, and I absolutely adore the train hall.
Comments on each space:
For the DUS south plaza, I like the marketplace option best. It will most effectively pull activity to and from 16th Street Mall, which is the most important function of that space. This square is probably the most difficult to design of any in the plan. Designers are going to be tempted to turn it into a sculpture garden, but it needs to be a throughway.
I like the concept for the DUS north plaza. It should be somewhat softer than the south plaza, but active as a destination rather than a cut-through. The big challenge is going to be integrating the stairs up to the kinetic plaza effectively. Speaking of the stairs, I think they should mimic the Spanish Steps in Rome. They should be stone, with heavy traditional ornament. The two DUS plazas are good places for contemporary art, but the steps need to be very heavily decorated if they're going to look at all special.
The kinetic plaza I think is just going to look lame and instantly dated. They're trying too hard to be edgy, and it's just not coming off as mature. Worse, it's too big a space to be devoid of commerce. Honestly, I'd be happier with a concrete pad filled with lots of vendor carts.
The train hall, OTOH, looks magnificent. It will instantly become a postcard-worthy landmark. I love it. I think it's the first time that as a Washingtonian, I've been jealous of something in Denver. And for the record, I actually like it better with the gap in the roof. The gap makes it less insular - visually connects it with the buzz of the city around.
Wewatta plaza is about right. It's a good place for a fountain. The only problem is that I think the entrance to the train hall from this side needs some work - it should be more monumental. This is going to be one of the main entry points to one of Denver's best public spaces, but it looks more the back door to a cafeteria. I *love* the train hall, but for its entrance here I think they should depart a from the space-frame theme and do something a little more substantial.
I'm not sure how I feel about the 17th Street linear park. The renderings look great, but I'd like more of that space to be usable rather than just planted, and if I were a passenger moving from the LRT to DUS, I'd be annoyed at the obstructions. Lots of outdoor dining is perfect, for the perimeter though. I guess I think the concept here is about right, but it still needs a lot of refinement.
There's not much there about the light rail plaza. I guess I like the idea of the "landform" play element, but I'm not sure that's the place for it. I think a clock tower on the order of about 60 feet tall would look fabulous in that location. Since clock towers are easily recognized elements of train stations world-wide, it would be a good visual tie to DUS, even if the architectural style of the clock tower were totally different.
Finally, two general comments:
1. I hope the designers are paying attention to how pedestrians will move from the transit plaza to 16th Street Mall, because that's going to be an extremely important movement.
2. I know these renderings are concepts for the public spaces and have nothing to do with the commercial buildings, and I know the massing models in place of buildings are just there for reference, but just to be on the record: For the love of god please don't make all the buildings blank glass curtain walls.
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Indeed. I would like to know that as well.
When I viewed this photo before - I always thought it was looking west toward Union Station, and just assumed the dimensions were all wrong. 
Linear Mode
