Challenge                                                                                                              
The historic, granite buildings that make up Minneapolis’s Government District offer a stately yet opaque architectural vision of civic duty, engagement, and transparency. Contrary to traditional monumental civic design, the new Minneapolis Public Service Building (PSB) offers a porous, light, and clearly contemporary alternative. 

Developed in close partnership with the City of Minneapolis and public advocates, the Public Service Building sets a new model for the “architecture of government access”—buildings connected to the the street, filled with daylight and connection to the outdoors. Most important, this new public service model is designed to provide a one stop shop with direct access to all city services and questions.

Role
From start to finish as project architect, Eric engaged the client and stakeholders, coordinated 25+ consultants, liaise between architecture offices, and handled construction with over 25+ contracts.

Attention to the Surroundings
One reason that Eric’s team won this commission is that they studied the wind patterns and four season microclimates at the assumed entry points. They demonstrated in the interview process why the assumed entry close to City Hall would actually be very windy. They made the case for shifting it away from the corner to minimize wind exposure and to optimize daylight.

Multi-Modal Connections
Throughout the process, Eric advocated for connectivity with the exterior public plaza and transit, a seamless integration with Minneapolis’s much-used skyway system, and walk-up pedestrian access for the public. 

Outcome
The new City of Minneapolis Public Service Building provides Minneapolis citizens with a customer-centric experience they have never known, setting a precedent for cities across the country.

The PSB introduces a wholly reimagined public service model. The design features innovative collaborative workspaces, integrated sustainability, and access to daylight as a contributor to a healthy work environment.

The building invites the public to come inside by placing public functions face-forward towards Government Plaza. Situated next to City Hall, the building is a progressive, contemporary workplace for city business that reflects the diversity of the city. 

Solving the Skyway “Problem”
After 60 years of dark interior skyways with few visible connections and pathways to the street, this project solves a basic skyway problem. With Eric’s leadership, a “floating path” connects to the skyways on the west, leads visitors directly to the public service desks and then gracefully extends across a dramatic vista of the City Hall plaza and surrounding buildings. Then, the path switches back near the building’s skyway-level cafe and cascades down to the block long lobby and the plaza beyond.