Seneca St. Garage Re-Design
CUSD, Mobility. 2020
​
The Sustainable Mobility group is a part of Cornell University Sustainable Design (CUSD) and is dedicated to re-designing transportation in Tompkins County, New York. This interdisciplinary team is composed of both undergraduate and graduate students from Cornell University and is advised by Professor Sirietta Simoncini.
​
This semester, the team focused on using Systems Engineering and Design Thinking tools to understand how to tackle challenges regarding wayfinding.
This included understanding various user needs, analyzing how users interact with the system and figuring out effective ways to communicate important information. For the Garage Wayfinding System, we completed our proposed updates to the Seneca St. garage from a design and budgeting standpoint, and we designed and carried out detailed testing procedures for the garage signage.
Table 1: The decision matrix used to inform the decision to focus on navigational murals, pedestrian walkways, and clarifying driver signage.
OBJECTIVE
​
Concern of stakeholders:
​
The Seneca Garage currently loses thousands of dollars per year.
​
We sought out to identify what aspects of the Seneca Garage were failing amongst users.
Empathy
Field Work
Testing
Design
FIELDWORK
Our team conducted site assessments of previous signage and layout- including community surveys to generate projections for stakeholders looking for opportunities for improvement.
Over several months, one of the site's unique challenges identified was the frequency of signage adapted with impermanent attachments. As a result, visitors were made not only to navigate an unfamiliar space but the abundance of often conflicting text meant to create clarity and provide direction.
Mapping of each garage level detailed signage and various forms of parking allowances.
​
TESTING
The research phase included prototyping/ testing signage material and installation options.
​
Prototype options were designed and ranked against the budget range of the stakeholders.
​
Cost, safety, sustainability, durability, maintenance, and fabrication accessibility were considerable factors reviewed during the testing phase.
For example, though animal cut outs for the stairwells were machined out of DIBOND, aluminum, and HDPE- the implication of installation into concrete and cost had us pivot to 2-D stencil paintings as an alternative.
Section Analysis of HDPE cut-out concrete installation
Working alongside Civil Engineers and contractors on adhering to building requirements was incredibly insightful and critical to our testing phase.
Looking out for:
-
Material lifespan
-
Signage protrusion
-
Sharp edges
-
Potential for mold growth
-
Mounting safety
Reiteration was vital in the design process as the project's timeline spanned a constantly shifting economic climate.
Responsive to the hardships COVID-19 posed to our stakeholders and community, we simplified designs to drive down costs and increase the feasibility of implementation.
​
DESIGN
​
ICON KEY, LEVEL DIRECTORIES, INFORMATIONAL SIGNAGE, MURALS, STAIRWELLS.
​
Design
Way
Finding
Solutions:
​
Streamlining payment, beautifying space, and creating a cohesive wayfinding system were top priorities.
​
The design also looks to educate garage patrons on Ithaca's unique ecology to increase environmental awareness and encourage tourism.
Proposals prioritized lowest cost solutions with highest return in wayfinding and user experience. The designs implemented color and iconography to better map space and discern location. ​
​Citizens overwhelming expressed discomfort within the structure's original concrete interior and welcomed a brighter re-facing. And to honor the community of Ithaca's commitment to sustainability and ecology, wayfinding was synthesized with education on local wild life as aquatic, land, and avian icons delineated each floor level.
SAMPLES
Our team considered variable legibility of signage for pedestrians on foot, in their vehicles, and with disabilities.
Stencil application for ramp numbers, letters, and wild life were advantageous over hardware installation that would have weaken concrete and created vulnerabilities with the temperature extremes of Ithaca.
Rendered mural for 3-4 level of the garage
Existing murals and other artistic efforts were
preserved in our designs as a show of respect
towards the community and evolving history of the site.
Level directory signage
These examples display our effort to streamline payment information and parking amenities.
STAKEHOLDER THOUGHTS
“I've spent a couple of hours listening to the recorded presentation and reviewing their deliverables and recommendations. It's professional; clean; simple and precise; wonderful color schemes; love the tie ins to local animals; cheerful; humanizing…I love the fact that this isn't an academic exercise; that I could pick up this team and likely create a viable business”
MOVING FORWARD
​
After a successful meeting with stakeholders, the CUSD design team with the cooperation of Tompkins County are currently implementing the proposal. The project's completion is anticipated for Spring 2023.
​