VJAA proposes to solve WAM traffic jam

One view of VJAA's proposed entrance plaza for the Weisman Art Museum at the U of M.

Minneapolis architect Vince James and his partners at the VJAA firm just won the prestigious "Firm Award" presented annually by the American Institute of Architects. For more on that see the Star Tribune story here.

Ace problem-solvers, the VJAA crew recently studied the hyperactive traffic outside the Weisman Art Museum, past which 20,000 students bike and hike daily en route between the University of Minnesota's east and west bank campuses.

Then they propopsed to construct a shaded plaza (above) that would channel and quiet the traffic while providing an attractive rest area between the museum, on the south, and the Science Teaching and Student Services building, on the north. The plaza will be located at the eastern end of the Washington Av. bridge which spans the Mississippi River.

VJAA's proposal was chosen from four finalists in a competition to redesign the space. Their proposal and those of the finalists are on view -- with videos, drawings, questionaires and other information -- in the Weisman's Target Studio for Creative Collaboration through Jan. 31.