Ridgedale Commons

U+B collaborated with landscape architect Damon Farber to create a new urban park for the City of Minnetonka.  In an era where retail malls are seeing far less traffic, cities are looking at creative ways to re-invent these massive commercial and retail settings. Ridgedale Commons Park will round out a multi-phase, multi-year effort by the City of Minnetonka to revitalize and reimagine the Ridgedale area. Improvements to the area will serve the influx of new residents surrounding the mall as well as older surrounding neighborhoods. With new picnic pavilions, bike trails and pedestrian-friendly buildings, the continued development of linked trails and parks enhances the livability of an area previously dominated by vehicular traffic.

The park building that U+B designed for Ridgedale Commons is set along a series of circular plazas that include an outdoor reading room accessible to library programming across the street, a community lawn, a unique interactive Lake Minnetonka-inspired water feature and a large plaza that is designed to host concerts, food trucks, and a farmer’s market. Ultimately, a refrigerated ice rink will be established in the circular plaza adjacent to the building for which the new park building will serve as a warming house through the winter months.  Through the warmer months, the building will be a rentable event space for residents to host community events.

Architect: U+B Architecture & Design
Landscape Architect: Damon Farber Landscape Architects
General Contractor: H+U Construction
Photography: Andrea Rugg Photography