In 1990, Uniroyal Plastics Company - the largest property taxpayer in the City of Mishawaka - suddenly closed its doors, leaving many residents out of work. What's more, the south bank of Indiana's St. Joseph River was left with major environmental issues. Though an identified EPA Superfund site, the location was a highly visible and desirable area just north of downtown Mishawaka. To address the problem, strong city leadership in office at the time cast a redevelopment vision that would remove the hazardous factory buildings, clean up the environmental issues, and pursue redevelopment opportunities for public benefit.

Planning
Over the last 30 years, city leaders have preserved the original redevelopment vision and guided the project area through the Superfund process. The first major phase of transformation in the early 2000s included the construction of Robert C. Beutter Riverfront Park and the Riverwalk Building. However, following initial success, additional planning, redevelopment, and investment stalled. In the mid-2010s, the city of Mishawaka pushed to create an iconic, year-round public asset that would attract new living, working, dining, and recreational opportunities. Their vision would also create an iconic destination and further activate the city's biggest natural asset: the St. Joseph River. In 2017, Landscape Architects at Context Design began working with stakeholders and the design team to put forth a vision and implementation strategy for the next phase of redevelopment at the former Superfund site.

 
Establishing Goals
By employing extensive stakeholder engagement, the Landscape Architects identified five key project priorities: incorporating public amenities that support active and passive recreation, establishing flexible spaces to host large-scale community events, embracing the river, activating the space year-round, and driving extensive economic development. In addition to these priorities, flood resilience was held as an inherent design principle, as the site is subject to flooding during large storm events. Adding a parking garage also allowed the city to significantly reduce surface parking requirements and maximize public green space. Taking inspiration from the site's history and natural systems, Ironworks Plaza consists of six distinct areas that function both independently and in partnership to create one holistic park space for community celebrations and public enjoyment.

Ice Rink and Ribbon Garden Walk
The core of Ironworks Plaza is a multi-seasonal, flexible, open plaza and ribbon garden walk. In the spring and summer, this area hosts farmers markets, concerts, and programmed events. In the winter, it is transformed into an ice-skating ribbon and rink that hosts the city's Winter Fest. The ribbon garden walk was directly inspired by the St. Joseph River and integrates dry stream beds, bio-swales, native-inspired plantings, art, and a one-of-a-kind fog feature. The elevated stage, which overlooks the plaza and river, is a hub of activity in all seasons. Utilizing the river as a backdrop, it becomes a beacon as the home of the city's 25-foot-tall Christmas tree.

Magical Lighting
James Brenner - a steel, glass, and light sculpture artist out of Minneapolis, Minnesota - created the singular sculptures whose presence transforms as the day turns to night. Michael Cohen, a principal designer with Schuler Shock in Minneapolis, collaborated closely in developing the lighting approach and design details. The five animated, luminous sculptures comprise "The Illuminated Arcs: Skate Lines." According to Brenner, "The designs were inspired by the free, fluid feeling of ice skating and the graceful lines that skates leave behind on the ice." In the center, the largest sculpture titled "Pair" anchors an interactive fog garden triggered by touching a post placed nearby. When the fog interacts with the changing lights, it gives the site a mystical, magical feel.

Around each sculpture, ground-mounted uplights shine on the outer surface to complement and contrast with the internal light sources. Inside the textured glass spines, thousands of 1-inch 'nodes' made up of three LED lights each are independently programmed for maximum control and precision in the lighting design. Another set of LEDs along the stainless-steel ribbing is controlled by a separate channel to create unique color combinations. Each lighting layer on the sculptures, on the buildings, and around the plaza are managed by a DMX lighting system that has origins in indoor theater applications. Located in the adjacent events center, this system allows the light sources to be animated in sync with music played on the plaza sound system. The multiple-timeline lighting controller also coordinates the dynamic color and pacing for the sculptures, fog, skating rink, and building facades. Furthermore, this controller activates the operation of the fog zones in coordination with lighting patterns.

Michael Cohen of Schuler Shook and James Brenner worked long hours together on site, wiring the sculptures and programming each node for the many custom light shows created. Brenner sees light as a material that is to be manipulated, just as the steel is worked to produce the forms envisioned by the artist. These aesthetic decisions included considerations like how much internal light is allowed to be seen, ways that the light source can be obscured, and the ways in which the external landscape lighting reflecting off the stainless-steel surface balances against the internal light. Once these aspects were resolved, the fun part was conceptualizing how the light programming could accentuate an interconnected sense of play and unity, just as the arc forms are all related to each other yet have characteristics unique to each sculpture. For example, sequences where one arc "throws" and another "catches" the color pattern creates a visual dialog between the sculptures. This process was first drafted in the studio and then fine-tuned on site to integrate the pieces with surrounding landscape.

Integrating Design and Nature
The design for Ironworks Plaza incorporates key facets to address environmental sensitivity, using carbon-conscious materials, sustainable systems for climate resiliency, enhanced ecosystems, and community empowerment. The employment of carbon-reducing materials - including natural stone, wood, and local metal partners - greatly reduced carbon emissions for key design features. With the plaza's setting along the river, the designers included sustainable efforts like bioswales, dry streambeds, native vegetation, and permeable pavements in high-flood areas to combat flooding and bank erosion. Native plantings and bank stabilization enriched and re-established local flora and fauna along the river corridor. Through city programs and educational opportunities, visitors can see, touch, and learn about the sustainable initiatives implemented in the design.

A Lasting Impact
Together, the plaza's distinct spaces and innovative lighting create a truly unique, iconic destination with a variety of all-season, public and private amenities and activities. This project is a refreshing example for all communities affected by environmental impacts with the willingness to prioritize public space for placemaking. In just the first year, Ironworks Plaza hosted 18 farmers markets, 30 community events, 15 music and concert nights, seven food truck Wednesdays, 5,000 attendees at Mishawaka's annual Winter Fest, and 29,000 visitors during ice skating season. The project has spurred an additional $80 million of infill development that continue drawing people to downtown Mishawaka and the St. Joseph River.