City Entertainment Center

Cities across North America have started to redevelop their principles in an attempt to draw people back into the core of “downtown.” With a renaissance of culture and venues tailored to the younger generation, cities have implemented spaces planned to contain multiple interests or needs in a small area. Taking the successes of both Times Square in New York, NY and Fremont Street in Las Vegas, NV, smaller cities have challenged city planners and architects to create similar, yet smaller scaled versions of these entertainment centers.

Taking the lessons learned from the strip mall designs of the 1980’s and the more recent design principles promoted by community planners, cities have developed small pedestrian centers within the city that specialize in entertainment venues for adults. With a collection of restaurants, bookstores, theaters, coffee shops and small retail spaces, these entertainment centers create a small community within the whole of the larger city.

The exterior design and materials of these centers is very important due to the need to attract patrons and serve as a vibrant and visually interesting destination. Modern finishes, bright colors, cleanable surfaces and durable materials are the mainstays for these designs. Trespa panels are an ideal material to both meet the needs of the project and allow for the design of a creative and interesting space.

The competition asks students to investigate the use of Trespa Panel Systems in the creation of a multi storied, pedestrian corridor in a city of their choice. The developed program directs students in general sizes, recommended design principals and specific drawings required in the final submission. Winning designs will receive: $2500 for first place, $1500 for second place, $1000 for third place, $500 for each honorable mention (3) or $50 for each merit award (4).

To learn more about the competition, download the competition program or register your you or your team (up to four students per group) please visit the competition Web site at http://www.aias.org/trespa.