2024 Summer Issue of Urban Land - 55

LONG AGO, places such as museums were
solely for admiring art, libraries were for reading
and borrowing books, and offices were
for work. These days, the boundaries between
places and their purposes are blurred. Architects,
city planners, and developers have
taken note and now intentionally design " third
spaces " for unexpected places.
For example, libraries have reinvented
themselves and added " maker spaces, " where
people can work on art or craft projects, take
classes, listen to lectures, or watch performances,
says Elena Madison, director of projects
at the Project for Public Spaces (PPS),
a nonprofit placemaking organization in New
York City.
" One town added a 'rent-a-kayak' service to
the library ... others have tool libraries where
you can borrow tools for home improvement
projects, " Madison says. " Designing buildings
for these multiple uses brings people together
informally in ways that go beyond your typical
social structure. "
Some building owners are marketing their
buildings differently, especially if they don't
have a lot of space but are in a great location,
to highlight public third spaces in their neighborhood,
such as restaurants, cafés, and parks.
" Developers know that the quality of third
spaces in their buildings or nearby makes a
big difference in how functional and attractive
a place is, " Madison says. " We're seeing
lots more creative concepts and multipurpose
third places, such as coffee shops that are
also bookstores, yoga studios, or even laundromats. "
The
term third place, coined by sociologist
Ray Oldenberg in his book The Great Good
Place (1989), refers to a location for social
interaction and public relaxation separate from
your home and your office. Whereas most
definitions of third space may refer to such
places as coffee shops, libraries, community
centers, bookstores, gyms, or theaters-places
where people interact socially-third places
today also include sites where remote or
hybrid office workers can be productive yet
not alone.
In a 2022 JLL survey, more than one third
(36 percent) of employees said they work in a
third place at least once a week.
" Third places are critical to what we do as
architects and are important factors in our
mixed-used and office designs, " says Robert
Holzbach, principal and director of commercial
office for Hickok Cole, an architecture firm in
Washington, D.C. " Even 10 or 15 years ago,
when we were repositioning office builders
and trying to compete with newer buildings,
we focused on the idea of taking underutilized
space and turning it into an amenity. "
For example, beautiful " power lobbies, "
once a space to walk through and admire,
were converted into spaces with appealing
The Aleck: Tenant lounge
at 3rd floor amenity
space. Multiple seating
arrangements provide
different opportunities for
work or relaxation.
SUMMER 202 4
URBAN LAND
55
FEATURES
JENN VERRIER
2024 Summer Issue of Urban Land

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2024 Summer Issue of Urban Land
