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Insight NewsletterSummer 2014

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Granite provides a natural fit for Target Field Station

From a major transit station to security upgrades, Minneapolis’ Target Field is welcoming the completion of several projects for the 2014 Major League season and in preparation for hosting the 2014 All- Star game. Perhaps most significant is the completion of Target Field Station, a major light-rail transit hub located adjacent to the ballpark and at the edge of the city’s downtown central business district. In 2012, Hennepin County selected the design-build project led by Knutson Construction

of Minneapolis and Perkins Eastman of New York to develop the $85-million Target Field Station. The station is the nexus of the Twin Cities’ transit system and is part of the Metropolitan Council’s 2030 transit plan.

Coldspring’s Mesabi Black® granite was selected as a design element throughout Target Field Station, which is taking transit beyond just providing a means of getting from one location to another. Known as Open Transit Design, the concept incorporates the

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Granite provides a natural fit for Target Field Station

design of a transportation hub into an iconic place that enhances urban life.

An Inspired Concept

With a Great Lawn, an amphitheater and adjacent mixed-use development, Target Field Station is poised to become the center for pre-game concerts, neighbor-hood gatherings, festivals, movie nights, individual gatherings and much more.

“We worked directly with the area residents and business owners to develop Urban Design Guidelines for this project,” said Dan Kenney, Executive Director of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority, the public entity that owns Target Field. “It’s very gratifying to see that collective vision become reality. Target Field Station is a great addition to the neighborhood.”

The amphitheater and its seating area forms what is called The Cascade. Project architects took inspiration from the St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, which tumble over granite and natural stone, and selected granite as a building material throughout the design.

Mesabi Black granite in Diamond® 10 and Diamond® 8 finishes (proprietary finish

textures to highlight the stone’s crystals) form seat walls at Station Square and the Great Lawn, planter wall caps and the wall facing Station Square at The Cascade. In total, 2,400 square feet of granite was used to complete the project. Mesabi Black granite provided the durable, maintenance-free material required by this project.

“Granite is a 50- to 100-year product, and this is a 50-year structure at least,” said George Fantauzza, Project Architect for owner Hennepin County. “It fit the nature of the long-term expectations for the project.”

Iconic Art

Part of the public nature of the project involved procuring a public artist for the amphitheater. The art was funded by the

“I’ve worked with Coldspring before, and they have a good reputation for meeting the schedule and delivering high quality.”

George Fantauzza Project Architect Hennepin County

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Minnesota Ballpark Authority.

“The artist wanted to complete his sandblast murals on a very dark black stone with little variegation, and Coldspring had the Mesabi Black, which was what the artist wanted” said Fantauzza.

St. Paul artist Craig David designed three murals for the backdrop to the amphitheater’s seating area. David’s artwork encompasses three themes that correspond to three themes of the station’s design – transit, sustainability and gathering.

According to David, the design motifs within the murals are based upon the two- dimensional design technique of petroglyphs, or pictographs. His goal with the pieces, collectively called “City Glyphs,” is to create abstracted, flattened forms that depict figures and imagery in a symbolic, primordial style with a contemporary twist.

“I decided to be exuberant with content,” said David. “This is a three-tone, three-value image – the black of the stone, white and then an in-between value. Since there’s not a lot of contrast, we are highlighting, but very lightly so

it looks natural. I didn’t want a “painted” look, so I thought if it’s going to be subtle, it needs more movement. That’s why it’s dynamic.”

David initially created paintings on wood panels using acrylic paint. His paintings were then digitized and sent to Coldspring. Deciding what process to use to transfer the artwork onto the stone provided a challenge. Both stenciling and mil masking were considered, but mil masking was selected due to its ability to create the tiny dot (halftone) pattern in the imagery David created.

Coldspring worked closely with David and his graphic designer Alan Svoboda through the process of coordinating the digital artwork. Getting the digital files together was a real challenge and required close communication between Coldspring and David, who had never used a computer for his artwork. In the end, the result is an extraordinary visual experience.

“Having public art is wonderful. If you can

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make a place a special place with some iconography, it becomes something unforgettable,” said David. “I feel these works are making a contribution to the betterment of the community. It’s social art and goes beyond the aesthetic. It belongs to everybody.”

Rapid Results

With another train in the plans for Minneapolis, a billion-dollar investment known as the Green Line, arrivals and departures are set to double in the city. Target Field Station had to be complete before the Green Line could begin operating.

“Because our granite supplier is local, they’re able to get the product when we need it,” said Fantauzza. “That was important because it’s such a fast-track project. I’ve worked with Coldspring before, and they have a good reputation for meeting the schedule and delivering high quality. Plus, we had more control. Keeping the stone within a 500-mile radius has helped us meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria for the project.”

Target Field Station’s grand opening

celebration was held May 17, one month in advance of the Green Line’s June 14 start of operations. Schedule has been met, despite one of the coldest winters on record in Minnesota. In total, 50 days dropped below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. And with the cold of winter behind them, the citizens of Minneapolis will find the public space at Target Field a welcome sight this summer.

“Target Field Station is unique in what it does for the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Fantauzza. “It’s not just a destination. It will become an event area. This project isn’t just about transit. It’s about community. The granite is going to be the backdrop for every person that walks through this public space. Over the course of its lifetime, millions of people will see and experience it.”

Target Field Adds Security

As the Station project has progressed, Target Field has made changes of its own. For the owners of a major league sporting venue, security is always a top concern and Target Field is no exception – particularly in a year when the ballpark will host the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star game. Helping to secure the site perimeter at the beginning of the 2014 season are 70 carefully planned granite benches serving as vehicular barricades. The granite benches and other landscape

“Coldspring set up a full-scale mockup of a half dozen blocks of the different finishes we could get. This was very beneficial to us in our selection process.”

Tadd Kreun Landscape Architect & Partner Oslund and Associates

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upgrades are designed by landscape architects Oslund and Associates of Minneapolis.

“This urban ballpark presented some unique design challenges,” said Tadd Kreun, landscape architect and partner at Oslund and Associates. “Of particular concern were areas where we have city streets adjacent to the ballpark, which in some cases is only 15 feet from the public right of way.”

In addition to the streets, four pedestrian bridges surround the ballpark. Underneath the pedestrian bridges lie vehicular entries for the ballpark’s staff. To further complicate matters, a railway corridor with an adjacent bike trail lies next to the underground pedestrian spaces. The challenge for the team was to provide a secure means of

sealing off the ballpark’s perimeter at these numerous access points, both underneath and next to the stadium.

Granite Provides Secure Solution

The design team wanted a solution to provide security that wouldn’t look foreboding and that would blend in and accentuate the outdoor space. The owner wanted to use stone native to Minnesota, and Mesabi Black granite from Coldspring was selected for the 2-foot by 2-foot by 6-foot benches that would serve as vehicular barricades. Granite lends an inviting appearance to the space, and its use in a functional everyday element such as a bench is pleasing to the eye while providing the security that’s needed.

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“The ballpark is clad with native limestone, a buff warm-colored stone,” said Kreun. “We didn’t want to use the same limestone for the benches, which would detract from the beauty of the building, so we selected granite for its color because it would contrast with the tan building. We also wanted granite for its durability and low maintenance. It’s much more dense and forgivable, especially in our climate.”

As the bench design got underway, one important consideration was deterring skateboarders who might see the objects as a target upon which to slide. As such, the bottoms and tops of the benches were cut flush, while all the exposed faces were split to achieve an irregular edge. A textured finish was added to help interrupt the sliding action skateboarders would seek.

“Coldspring set up a full-scale mockup of a half dozen blocks of the different finishes we could get,” said Kreun. “This was very beneficial to us in our selection process.” The owners of the Minnesota Twins were also involved in viewing the mockup finishes, which were critical to the selection process.

Materials Used:

Target Field Station Mesabi Black® granite 2,400 Sq. Ft. Diamond® 8 & Diamond® 10 finishes

Benches Mesabi Black® granite 1,304 Cubic Ft. Textured finish

A total of 1,304 cubic feet of granite was required to construct the 70 granite benches. Multiple engineering firms were engaged to perform structural analysis on the bridges to ensure they could support the load of the cubes, which weigh 2- to 3-thousand pounds each.

In some locations the benches were formed in a square formation to create a sitting area where fans can face each other. Planters dropped in the middle of the square break up the space and provide green area.

“This project has secured the site perimeter to protect the ballpark and fans in a subtle and welcoming way,” said Kreun. “But as benches, the vehicular barricades provide a very functional use, especially as additional seating needed for metro mobility and a metro transit bus stop.”

The perimeter security enhancements were completed before the start of the 2014 season, well in time to secure the area for the 2014 season and the MLB All-Star game.

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Here and There Disappearing Bodies of WaterAccomplished sculptor and architect Maya Lin, well known for designing the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in DC which Coldspring fabricated, has had a longtime interest in environmental issues. This is what inspired her “Here and There” exhibits at the PACE Gallery in New York City and London. Lin explores aspects of the natural world through sculpture and drawing, focusing on mapping as a way to translate the enormity of a place to a scale that we can see and understand. The New York presentation of “Here and There” concentrates on the geography of Manhattan and New York State (Here), while the London exhibition explores natural phenomena within but also beyond London, extending to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Arctic (There). Coldspring helped bring Lin’s vision to life. Lin’s studio produced electronic Rhino (CAD Modeling Software) files that Coldspring turned into fabrication tickets and released directly to Omags (CNC Machinery). The sculptures were produced out of Vermont Danby

Marble. Prior to producing finished pieces, Coldspring created many samples for Lin’s review and approval. Lin came to Coldspring in the Spring of 2013 to review and inspect the works produced prior to their shipment. In 2013 Coldspring completed eleven works total and three additional works in 2014 for Lin. Once the pieces are completed they are packaged in crates and sent to various museums throughout the United States where they are ultimately purchased. The sculptures have been a huge success around the world and Coldspring will continue to fabricate more renditions of the pieces.

Click here to view an interview with Maya Lin on her work, Disappearing Bodies of Water

Photo courtesy of Maya Lin