Target Field Station wins AIA urban design award

The light rail station at Target Field in Minneapolis is one of four winners of an American Institute of Architects' 2015 honor award for regional and urban design. The AIA announced 23 awards in all, including for architecture and interior architecture, chosen from about 500 projects around the world.

Target Field Station, opened in May 2014, is a transit hub in Minneapolis' North Loop area adjacent to the Target Field baseball stadium. The city's Blue and Green Line light rail trains pass through the station which also connects with the Northstar commuter rail line that brings residents of the Twin Cities' northern suburbs into downtown. Buses and bikes tie into the system at Target Station, and more light rail lines are expected to open eventually.

The project, which includes an amphitheater and a "Great Lawn" for public gatherings, is a focal point for revitalization of the North Loop neighborhood.

The AIA award cited it as "one of the first spaces in the country to truly integrate transit and culture," and saluted the Great Lawn as "a green stage for pregame events, community concerts, and other events," augmented by plaza spaces for restaurants, cultural and entertainment events.

The project was designed by Perkins Eastman with engineering by Short Elliott Hendrickson (civil); Parson Electric (electrical); Michaud Colley Erickson (Mechanical) and Palanaswami and Associates (structural). Knutson Construction was the general contractor and Olin / SEH the landscape architect.

Other AIA regional design awards went to:

Beijing Tianqiao (Sky Bridge) Performing Arts District Master Plan; Beijing, China by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

The Big U: New York City by BIG/ Bjarke Ingels Group

Government Center Garage Redevelopment, Boston by CBT Architects