MALCOM YARDS CONCEPT VISION
A concept vision for a high-density mixed-use district to welcome a diverse community to a post-industrial and sustainable site.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
17 acres
2019-2020
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Malcolm Yards is a 17-acre post-industrial district in Minneapolis’ Prospect Park neighborhood, envisioned as a dynamic extension of the Towerside Innovation District. Rooted in Towerside’s mission to unite working, living, and innovation within an equitable and sustainable community, the design establishes a cohesive identity shaped by human experience, ecological performance, and cultural history. Commercial development, multifamily housing, and a Food Hall within the historic Harris Machinery building anchor a vibrant mix of uses. Integrated circulation, programming, and stormwater infrastructure transform essential systems into experiential landscapes, reinforcing connectivity, resilience, and a renewed industrial spirit.
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The design and planning process articulates a bold vision for the district’s future—one that shapes identity across multiple scales and establishes a distinctive sense of place. Centered on human experience and integrated stormwater infrastructure, the plan weaves performance and beauty into a cohesive landscape identity. Field-based research revealed the site’s layered history and inherent character, informing a design framework rooted in authenticity and place. Thoughtfully integrated circulation, access, and connections strengthen relationships to the surrounding community and the City of Minneapolis. By bringing ecological systems, cultural narratives, and programmatic opportunities into dialogue, the framework creates a unified and legible district. The resulting plan enhances connectivity, invites public life, and positions the district as a resilient, welcoming, and dynamic landscape shaped for both present and future generations.
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Encompassing 17 acres, the district brings together commercial opportunities, newly constructed multifamily housing, and a vibrant Food Hall anchored within the historic Harris Machinery building. Through careful site inventory, material exploration, benchmarking, and program development, the vision reinforces the district’s established brand—developed in collaboration with Knock Creative Agency—as a public platform for industrial reimagination. An artful collection of lifestyle experiences draws from the site’s working-industrial legacy to express the authentic soul of the neighborhood.
Program studies shaped a constellation of site- and structure-based destinations, while circulation analysis defined intuitive movement and character-rich linear experiences throughout the district. Advancing the district’s system-level sustainability goals, stormwater treatment landscapes are seamlessly integrated with circulation routes and programmed spaces, transforming essential infrastructure into visible, experiential, and place-defining amenities.
PROJECT DETAILS
Location Minneapolis, Minnesota
Team TEN x TEN, Snow Kreilich Architects, Knock Creative Agency
Area 17 acres
Status Concept Vision Completed in 2020
Photos TEN x TEN