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The user group started with review of the patterns that had been drafted by staff based on discussions at previous departmental and user meetings, with the following comments.
Wholeness: Add language about phasing to ensure that work is done efficiently, not twice.
Site Repair: Pattern adopted.
Main Entrance: Needs to be tailored to the needs of this project, including the importance of public visibility (to the UO community, to Eugene). The important opportunity for a unifying architectural appearance should be included as well.
Integrated Lobbies: Adapt the diagrams to be less specific: e.g. just "lobby", not "upper lobby/lower lobby". Include clear direction about:
Black Box Theater:
Members of the Campus Planning Committee joined the user group for the second half of the meeting to discuss site opportunties and constraints. Staff presented a map that demonstrated graphically the site patterns (from the Long Range Campus Development Plan) that this project must address.
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List of site patterns
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Tour: The meeting participants toured the surroundings of Robinson Theatre to provide guidance on site selection and building massing issues. Three general site opportunities were identified (although there is overlap among them).
North site: This site has excellent presence to the Eugene community through its visibility from 11th Avenue east-bound. It also offers the possibility of covering up the large blank walls of Robinson Theatre. The site is constrained by a number of large mature trees, in particular the largest Ginkgo on campus and one of the original Metasequoias planted outside of China after they were re-discovered in the mid-20th century.
West site: Participants agreed that this side of the building fitted the pattern for Site Repair, and would be a good candidate for major change, as the current conditions are not very successful. The turn-around is seen as a liability, and could be replaced by a very small parking lot. Re-design of this area could improve pedestrian access from Dads' Gate to the rest of campus, and repair the damage to the site grades and the historic fabric that was done as part of the Robinson Theatre construction. On the other hand, it might be hard to provide the necessary programmatic connection from the new theater to the existing support facilities in the basement of Villard.
South site: It is easy to imagine how the south site might be developed. It connects easily to existing facilities, and can be at least partially buried into the slope of the hill, but development on this site displaces the outdoor theater that currently occupies the site. Members of the department will discuss whether this function is needed, and whether other options exist to replace this site.
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Visibility of historic Villard: One issue that the participants tested was the visibility of the historic portions of Villard Hall from the southwest while approaching on Old Campus Lane. This view is now largely blocked by trees until one is south of the current outdoor theater south of Robinson/Villard. This being the case, it was generally agreed that the Miller addition needs to respect the major views of the historic part of Villard, but it need not open up views that don't exist presently, and small glimpses can be blocked by the new addition. Deady / Villard parking (plaza): It was agreed that it would be desirable to make a more user-friendly space by removing the vehicles except for service and delivery, and re-creating the parking lot as a pedestrian plaza. Delivery access to the scene shop would have to be maintained, as well as other deliveries, maintenance vehicle parking, etc., but the area devoted to vehicles would be reduced and the emphasis shifted to pedestrians. Those attending the meeting agreed that in this instance one-for-one replacement of parking may not be necessary. This site improvement may be beyond the scope of the funding of the Miller Theater project, but it may be possible to find other funds for this purpose. |
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