i.M.A.D.E consulted with A2SO4 on an urban streetscape design proposal for the South Street corridor in downtown Indianapolis. Asked by the city to envision a contemporary South Street, A2SO4 set out to create an urban “park” with narrow green areas in the spaces along the sidewalks and street. In the interest of a solution that sustains the local economy and ecology, the developed schemes called for a combination of CNC milling operations performed on locally harvested Indiana limestone quarry blocks. Carved into seating, lighting, and pacing systems, the blocks could become a cost-effective means to infuse local, and other-wise unused materials into the urban streetscape.

The sculpting of both limestone and soil–as undulating land forms to perform as swales and retention basins to prevent immediate water run-off–adds a visual curiosity that indicates the functions of the park as a human-crafted system. Grass and alkaline sympathetic plantings (from the lime-amended soil) provide color, patterning, and in some instances shade.

The end result of this exercise was a crafted booklet, presented to the city of Indianapolis, describing and picturing this vocabulary of both re-used local and natural materials, urban infrastructure components, and proposals for fabricating and deploying these pieces along South Street to create a performative urban landscape.

Students: Dustin Headley, Katherine Marinario, Kyle Keaggaber, Ben Herring, Chandra Shrestha, Jason Klinker, Jamie Owens, Andrew Glass, Anindita Chaudhary

Industry Partners: A2SO4, ACS Sign Systems, Broad Ripple Art + Design

Faculty: Kevin Klinger, Joshua Vermillion, William Marquez