Selected as one of 2023’s four Miller Prize recipients for the annual theme “Public by Design,” PAU was given the additional prompt of “Civic Infrastructure” to renew public interest and engagement with Columbus Indiana’s downtown. The intervention, titled InterOculus, is sited at the intersection of Washington and Fourth Streets. PAU’s design recasts everyday infrastructure, in this case, streetlight poles, to create a civic armature, creating a cultural crossroads at the heart of Downtown Columbus.
© Hadley Fruits
Building on feedback from workshops with residents, business owners, workers, and students, PAU’s design, intended to be a temporary installation, has been lauded for its design and requested to be a permanent installation. The intervention energizes downtown, creating a focal point to draw people in, linger past their working day, meet with neighbors and friends, and visit neighboring businesses.
© Hadley Fruits
Its canopy form, celebratory purpose, and equitable invitation are derived from an extensive community engagement process, and inspired by influences as diverse as Rome’s Pantheon, the Hoosier pride embodied by the archway marking the entrance to the Indiana State Fair, ice cream sundaes from Zaharakos, and the wigwams of the Shawnee and Miami peoples.
© Hadley Fruits
By recycling the intersection’s existing street pole foundations and piggybacking on their infrastructure, the design seeks to create an egalitarian visual and physical destination that revitalizes downtown day and night through the experiences of suspension, projection, and illumination. The project asks the community to inhabit the structure, revel in the city’s historic downtown, and advocate for permanent urban public spaces that connect the diverse communities and mindsets of Columbus through positive social friction.
Project Info
Architects: PAU – Practice for Architecture and Urbanism
Area: 2000 ft²
Year: 2023
Country: Columbus, United States
Photographs: Hadley Fruits
Lead Architect: Vishaan Chakrabarti
Engineering: RBHU, Elizabeth Woolf, Katahdin Engineering
General Contractor: Taylor Brothers Construction CO.
Design: Ruchika Modi, Mark Faulkner, Eric Peters, Skylar Bissom Rapp, Harry Ross, Julia Lewis
Dome Fabrication, Design Assist, & Steel Erection Support: Whitco Fabrication
Column Fabrication & Design Assist: Vector Custom Fabricating
Steel Erection & Design Assist: All Out Ironworks
Curved Steel Supplier: Chicago Metal Rolled Products
Fabric Fabrication: Ranier Industries LTD
Lighting & Projection: Ovation Technology Grou
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial