CITY OF REDWOOD CITY, CA
Abbott Labs Research Campus – Master Plan Development Review

Project Type: Development + Design Review
Scale: Waterfront Research Campus
Date: Fall 2001 - Fall 2003, Master Plan adopted
Client: Michael Church, Planning + Redevelopment Director
Principal: Principal, FTB Urban Design

The City of Redwood City hired Alison Kendall to assist with the Development Review of a large research and development campus proposed for a waterfront industrial site. Ms. Kendall assisted City staff in addressing issues posed by the proposed site plan: the massing and magnitude of the project, which exceeded current zoning, and assessment of transportation and other project impacts on the waterfront area. The Master Plan provides a master site plan and program, with architectural, landscape and site planning guidelines for the design of future phases.

After exploring several possible solutions, a phased site plan which imposed stringent transportation demand management controls and other requirement s was developed. A complex series of exchanges of easements was recommended to provide a more rational access pattern and better visibility to the public environmental center on the waterfront.

Downtown Cinema/Retail Project – Design Review

Project Type: Design Review
Scale: 20-screen multiplex with retail
Date: Fall 2001 - Fall 2003, approval
Client: Michael Church, Planning + Redevelopment Director
Principal: Principal, FTB Urban Design

The City of Redwood City hired Alison Kendall to assist with the Design Review of a 20-screen downtown Cinema with ground floor retail and underground public parking. The project had great potential to attract people to the downtown theater district, which included a historic live theater across the street. The biggest design challenge was inserting the huge, block long project into the finely grained fabric of the historic downtown, and giving it a distinctive look which drew on Redwood City's unique character.

In order to successfully accomplish this goal, FTB suggested that Field Paoli, the developer's architects, draw inspiration from a number of the existing downtown buildings. The downtown area incorporates a wide variety of architectural styles with a unifying storefront rhythm and level of detail. The final design of the building, shown below, incorporates patterns in façade composition, storefront design, textures and detail found in many of the historic downtown buildings, creating a rich visual environment for theater-goers and retail patrons. In successive refinements to the building design, additional detail was added and the character of the different portions of the building was developed in a varied but consistent manner in order to define major tenants, theater entries and exits, and public parking access. While not disguising its contemporary nature, the new project fits seamlessly into downtown.

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