Waterside Design Finalists to Make Pitches

(photo courtesy of Ambrose Property Group)

The finalists in the Waterside Design Competition will be in Indianapolis Wednesday to discuss their approach and design philosophy. The competition is designed to transform key components of the $1.4 billion redevelopment of a former GM Stamping Plant site in downtown Indianapolis.

Developer Ambrose Property Group joined Exhibit Columbus and the Central Indiana Community Foundation to identify the three finalists, which were announced last month. The competition specifically focuses on the adaptive reuse of the former GM Chevrolet Division Commercial Body Plant, also known as the "Crane Bay." The finalists are also working to create "a connection between this area an the urban core Indianapolis."

The finalists include:

• Hood Design Studio (Oakland, CA) with Thomas Phifer and Partners and Arup
• SCAPE (New York, NY) with SO-IL, Guy Nordenson and Associates, James Lima Planning + Development, Art Strategies, NelsonNygaard, and Manuel Miranda Practice 
• Snøhetta (New York, NY) with Moody Nolan, Arup, HR&A, Art Strategies, and Chris Wangro

"Indianapolis is a success story," said Walter Hood of Hood Design Studio. "The development of Waterside has the unique potential to simultaneously embrace the past while bridging to the future, foregrounding the White River as an important urban amenity and connecting important energies throughout the city."

The presentation will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at INDUSTRY, located at 545 Kentucky Avenue in downtown Indy. It is free and open to the public. 

The Waterside Design Competition is slated to culminate in October when the finalists return to give public presentations of their design concepts. A jury of community stakeholders and national experts will select a winner.