Main Street + Side Street

Feed
Projects

    Email from Jason Alves

    Paula Garza Gonzalez and Owen Eddy
    For a few years I have been trying to envision a way to activate Inman Square on a somewhat regular basis by introducing a Mini Golf Night in the East Cambridge Saving Bank Parking Lot at 1310 Cambridge Street.

    I envision a 9 hole course that can be easily stored and set up on site.
    I would also like them to be easy to bring to other locations if this becomes a popular activity. ( we would obviously need to move them by truck, but the easier they are eto move in general will be helpful)

    We dont have a lot of storage space for these so figuring out how and where to store them is an issue because the physical space they will take up is a general question.

    To take the idea further, I envision adding traditional style obstacles to the course over time. I think it would be fun to have mini golf obstacle that reflect things around the community. This presents its own set of storage questions and needs.

    The platforms and fun shapes of individual holes is the first step.
    I think they need to be durable in case someone where to stand on them and also accessibility is something we should keep in mind. Should be weather resistant to some extent also.

    I had originally envisioned platforms, so the hold will drop in, but in one of the examples below it looks like the cup is raised. I dont necessarily love the idea of every cup being over a hump, but perhaps there is something to think about there.

    The course should also be easy to set up in 45 minutes or less by 1 or 2 people.

    So I think the first goal is to envision a design for the course and how we may store it in the most efficient way.

    I love that this project is being considered and I'm happy to talk about it more.


    Precedents he sent:

    This is the gold standard of what i envision
    http://www.theminigolfparty.com/

    This one seems in line with the vision also

    This is one that sits on the ground. Not what i had originally envisioned, but perhaps it can be incorporated

    Indigenous History of New England

    Heide Solbrig and Owen Eddy

    SMART

    Victoria Haggins - Wright and Owen Eddy

    1.  Talking through the Idea worked it help to make sure we were all on the same page. Prototyping didn't work because we didn't really know our idea.

    2. 

    a. Try to combine feedback into our project.

    b. Looking back at the feedback that I got and seeing how that plays into my project. 

    Next Steps & Feedback

    Victoria Haggins - Wright and Owen Eddy

    Next Steps

    5 Restaurants (5 holes)ResearchSettle
    Design their representationResearch Sketching
    Make it modularLook up modular designsPrototypes


    Feedback:

    1. Maybe only be open on the days the bank is closed.

    2. Play value, how to have more people come in.

    3. How do you weave in cultural aspects of Inman into the course?

    4. History, what do you want to capture?

    5. Who maintains it?

    6. How do you prevent the course from getting stolen.

    Inman Restaurants

    Paula Garza Gonzalez and Owen Eddy

    Cambridge dining bloomed due to its ethnic diversity and adventurous eaters. A kind of multicultural row, Cambridge Street from Lechmere to Inman blossomed in Casa Portugal (since ’76), Midwest Grill, Olé, The Druid Pub, and 1369 Coffeehouse.

    https://historycambridge.org/history-hubs/culinary-history-hub/

    Legal Sea Foods got its start here when it opened as a fish market in 1950.  Inman Square really became a dining destination spot in the mid-1980s when East Coast Grill opened, followed by more and more restaurants.

    • S & S Restaurant
    • 1369 Coffeehouse
    • Rosie’s Bakery
    • East Coast Grill
    • All Star Sandwich Bar
    • Ole Mexican Grille
    • Oleana
    • Christina’s Ice Cream
    • Bukowski’s Tavern
    • The Druid
    • Ryle’s Jazz Club

    https://centersandsquares.com/inman-square/

    Mini-Golf Precedent: Lucid Dreaming Mini-Golf

    Heide Solbrig and Owen Eddy

    inman

    Victoria Haggins - Wright and Owen Eddy

    Jason Alves - Client

    Paula Garza Gonzalez and Owen Eddy

    Executive Director of East Cambridge Business Association

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-alves-71925618

    https://eastcambridgeba.com/about-us-2

    maybe?

    Paula Garza Gonzalez and Owen Eddy

    Beckett Brief

    Beckett Munson and 2 OthersKody White
    Finn Mayeux

    Sylvan Solar Shade is a collapsible shade pavilion designed to improve the public patios in Inman Square, Cambridge. The ongoing efforts to create outdoor public spaces within Cambridge has been aiming to create a comfortable and enjoyable environment. However, within Inman Square the limited shade cover and declining number of trees in the area has made the seating increasingly hostile to potential users. Sylvan Solar Shade was designed to address this problem. 


    Sylvan Solar Shade’s structure utilizes a compact design and collapsible architecture to make installation accessible and easy. Additionally, Sylvan Solar Shade’s shade cover mimics the way that sun rays pass through the leaves of the honey locust tree in order to create a calming and cooling place to relax. The solar shade does this by layering two separate pieces of fabric on top of one another. The first layer is a stretched nylon with cutouts in the pattern of honey locust leaves to allow the sun to pass through. The second layer is a thin piece of UV-reflective canvas. In tandem, the layers allow for light to project the patterns of tree leaves onto the interior of the pavilion, while shielding the occupants of Inman Square from the heat and UV rays of the sun.