High Tech’s Higher Purpose June 20, 2023

How 3D printing helped transform Minneapolis’ iconic indoor public space

No matter the weather outside, it’s bright and pleasant inside the Crystal Court in downtown Minneapolis. Kids splash their hands in a shallow pool. Colleagues meet up for coffee. Friends grab a seat and take a break from shopping.

This daylit indoor plaza is a popular gathering spot in the IDS Center, which is owned by investment manager and operator Accesso and is the city’s tallest skyscraper. It has been a pedestrian hub for decades, providing a year-round oasis for businesspeople, families, entertainers, and shoppers via street-level sidewalks and a network of skyways that connects downtown buildings.

The challenge: Updating an indoor park

In 2021, shortly before the IDS Center turned 50, the Crystal Court underwent a renovation to modernize the space and enhance its reputation as a vibrant place to meet, mingle, and interact. “We wanted to respect the original intent of the design, which created an indoor park atmosphere,” said Deb Kolar, General Manager of the IDS Center for Accesso and a key member of the team that orchestrated the renovation. “Our aim was to keep familiar elements that visitors to the Crystal Court have enjoyed for years. That’s why water, real trees, and seating remained the pillars of the project.”

As part of the renovation, designers removed the uniformly stark white park benches that were relics from a ‘90s-era renovation. Kolar wanted to replace them with durable and comfortable furniture that was unique to the plaza. The new benches did not all have to look exactly alike, but they needed to be visually cohesive.

“Our aim was to keep familiar elements that visitors to the Crystal Court have enjoyed for years. That’s why water, real trees, and seating remained the pillars of the project.”

Deb Kolar, General Manager of the IDS Center for Accesso

The solution: 3D printed benches

The design team of Tony Layne, Jeremiah Collatz, and John Slack, all of whom work in a studio on the third floor of the IDS Center, proposed a family of seating options inspired by the smooth, organic shapes of pebbles on a Minnesota lakeshore. To create a bespoke solution that would be lightweight but sturdy, they turned to 3D printing technology.

To begin, the design team collaborated with a graphic designer to generate hundreds of pebble-like shapes.

The outcome: ‘It makes me smile’

The benches contribute to a distinctive sense of place in the remodeled Crystal Court. “It feels great to see people using the custom printed furniture so frequently, and in so many different ways,” Collatz says. “I often catch a moment of respite or meet up with a colleague in the tree grove on the way to and from work.” Collatz confirms, too, that the benches do indeed look like pebbles when viewed from above.

Kolar agrees. “The benches are in constant use,” she said. “Every time I walk through the Crystal Court, someone is using one of the ‘stones’ to take a short rest, sip coffee with a friend or coworker, or sit and people watch. It makes me smile because this is exactly how we hoped the space would be used.”

Twenty 3D-printed benches give visitors to the Crystal Court a comfortable place to rest. They’re elegant, ergonomic, and durable.

“It feels great to see people using the custom printed furniture so frequently, and in so many different ways.”

Jeremiah Collatz, Designer at Perkins&Will