Executive Summary
In November 2009, the people of the State of Ohio voted to change the State's Constitution to allow casino-based gambling. This act allows four casinos to be built on specific sites around the state. Cincinnati's casino will be built downtown at the site known as Broadway Commons.
Since a Casino is a large development with the potential for significant impact on its environment, Cincinnatians have voiced anxiety over its design and construction. A Casino is intrinsically an interior use. A casino could quite comfortably function in a building that has no windows, a simplistic utilitarian form, and no recognition of - or dependence on - its surroundings. Yet, the site for the Cincinnati Casino is quite urban. It is a site on a wedge of property between downtown Cincinnati and the Pendleton portion of Over-the-Rhine. Without doubt, the Cincinnati Casino will dramatically affect the urban environment surrounding it.
To help guide the design of the Cincinnati Casino, the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, along with co-sponsors Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Chapter of the United States Green Building Council; and with support from the University of Cincinnati Community Design Center, the Association of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, the Cincinnati Preservation Association, and the Cincinnati Art Academy sponsored a one-day charrette on Saturday, February 20, 2010. The charrette drew almost 200 participants with broad participation from designers, engineers, neighborhood residents, business owners, City staff, developer's representatives, and others.
The goal of the charrette was to maximize the potential for a successful casino development that is well woven into the urban fabric of Cincinnati. The input of various stakeholders was gathered and synthesized into a set of mission statements and urban design principles that can inform development of the casino. The following is a summary of the results of the charrette.
Four mission statements guided the discussion:
For the Urban Scale:
- The Casino will be a major venue within a constellation of arts, leisure and entertainment destinations in the Tri-State Metro area - including visual arts (e.g. museums, galleries) performing art s (e.g. theaters) parks (e.g. Sawyer Point) and the complementary amenities (e.g. hotels, restaurants, retailers, etc.).
For The Building Scale:
- The physical nature of the Casino should enhance the neighborhood experience for the city's citizens and visitors.
For Energy and the Environment:
- The Casino should be designed, constructed and operated to minimize its impact on the environment.
For the Quality of Life:
- The Casino should make the City of Cincinnati a better place for residents, stakeholders, and visitors.
The charrette provided guidance to the Casino developer and to the City of Cincinnati by identifying the following urban design principles to be addressed by the design of the Casino:
- Physical Connectivity
- Transportation and Infrastructure
- Terminated Vistas
- Functions & Programming
- Geologic Context
- Massing
- Architectural Compatibility & Context
- Materiality
- Landscape
- Parking
- Sustainability
- Safety
These principles are discussed and illustrated in the Casino Charrette Outcomes report.