Richard G. Lugar Plaza

Richard G. Lugar Plaza is a 2-acre civic space that sits in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. The downtown district has grown around the plaza, including the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, the Julia Carson Transit Center, and new residential and mixed-use developments. These investments have heralded a new era of life and vitality to the area.


Client:

City of Indianapolis

Project Size:

2 acres

Location:

Team:

Status:

October 2018

Services:

Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering

In Association With:

Circle Design, Fink, Roberts, & Petrie, Axis, RLR Associates, ProjectOne Studio, Brandt Construction, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures

Awards:

Photography:

Daniel Showalter, Hadley Fruits

At the base of the towering City-County Building in downtown Indianapolis, the former space featured a complex arrangement of granite walls, water features, and raised plant beds. Adding further complexity, the plaza also sits on top of a sub-surface parking garage.

After a series of engagement sessions, we proposed a series of interconnected scenes around a central green space, with communal and intimate gathering areas, an interactive spray fountain, interpretive murals, a speaker’s platform, and accommodations for events. A bright, colorful, and contemporary design vocabulary gives downtown Indianapolis a new, modern urban living room. The new plaza is transformational.

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Subtle earthforms provide adequate soil depth for 68 new shade trees, while maintaining the waterproofing and structural integrity of the parking garage below. Our team worked with the City and their chosen artist to conceive and integrate a new public art piece — ALLOY — commissioned by their sister cities program. We also assisted in creating a strategic plan to restore Quaestio Librae, the first contemporary sculpture to be permanently installed in downtown Indianapolis.

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