MXC Center

Abstract

Students in this studio were asked to study the planning principles of a 1960’s “new town” that was proposed for west-central Minnesota, the Minnesota Experimental City (MXC). They were then asked to imagine a new or hybrid typology based on these principles, select a site as if the city had been built in the urban or rural settings that were proposed northwest of Alexandria, and design a building, circa 2011. This particular project developed based on interest about the urban fabric of the MXC and how people are going to meet, congregate, and shop in a “new town.” Will people go out and shop? Physically? Or will the internet take over and leave people at home, secluded? Will they travel at length or want to walk and bike? Researching one basic human need - physical interaction - led to the formation of this cluster of buildings. Designed as a city center, of sorts, it is meant to draw people in, on foot and by transportation, to a place where, even in the future, social interaction is fostered, and proximity to people is important.