Nassau Street’s iconic kiosks are ready for a makeover. As part of the municipality’s Nassau Street Streetscape Project, AIA New Jersey is hosting a Princeton Kiosk Design Competition, inviting both professional architects and students to propose innovative design solutions for a new, purpose-built information kiosk to serve as a vital civic and wayfinding hub.
The kiosks, a feature of Nassau Street since 1988, serve as informal anchors of communication and community activity, offering bulletin board space, public maps, and, until mobile phones became ubiquitous, telephone booths. The hope is that a next-generation kiosk will add utility through digital connectivity while retaining the analog charm of the existing structures.
A new kiosk will be located at the corner of Nassau Street and Vandeventer Avenue. Designers are invited to propose a creative, durable, and engaging architectural solution that redefines the role of a kiosk in the 21st century public realm. The deadline to register for the competition is Wednesday, July 16, and the deadline to submit a design is Friday, July 18.
Participants will design a kiosk within a defined footprint (14’ x 8’, maximum 12’ high) that includes minimum 50 square feet of public bulletin board space; a digital touch screen (24” x 36”) for wayfinding and local information; durable and sustainable materials; solar and/or ambient lighting options; QR code or mobile connectivity; and a recognition plaque for donors and sponsors.
The design should be flexible and adaptable to evolving technologies and future environmental or social conditions.
The competition is open to entrants from two categories. The professional category is open to licensed NJ architects and AIA members only. The student category is open to New Jersey high school, college, and university students, or New Jersey residents studying out of state in an architecture/design program. Individual and team entries (up to six members) are welcome.
Cash prizes will he awarded to the first, second, and third place designs in each category as well as the “public choice” winner in the professional category.
All entries must be submitted anonymously through the AIA NJ Design Awards Portal. A full list of submission guidelines can be found at aia-nj.org/kiosk. Contact Christina Goldstein at cgoldstein@njpsi.com with questions.
Design selection will be made by a jury including architects, Princeton officials, community leaders, and business stakeholders. Top finalists will be exhibited publicly, and one will be selected as a potential basis for construction. The Municipality of Princeton reserves the right to determine final construction outcomes.
The Municipality of Princeton is also seeking community input on the future of the historic 23-acre property that was formerly the home of Westminster Choir College.
After several years of lawsuits regarding the ownership of the campus, Princeton finalized its acquisition of the property by condemnation on April 1 of this year.
“Now the hard work begins: to reimagine this historic site to meet urgent public facility needs, while honoring the cultural significance of its past and leaving a legacy for future generations,” said Princeton Council President Mia Sacks in announcing the completed acquisition. “We look forward to engaging the community over the next 18 months in a multi-faceted planning exercise with robust public engagement and maximum stakeholder input.”
To that end, Princeton has retained Topology, a New Jersey-based planning firm, to help “identify a vision for the site that is both implementable and worthy of the Municipality’s sizable investment,” as indicated in their scope of work.
The community is invited to assist in this process by completing a one-question survey, available online at https://s.surveylegend.com/-OSUBVQh2zodXzlY8G_v, that asks “What would you most like to see included in the reimagined Westminster Choir College campus?”
“We are pleased that the legal hurdles involving the acquisition of this property have finally been resolved,” said Mayor Mark Freda. “We are eager to move forward together with the community to come up with the best plan for this site and our residents.”
A competition is underway to design a new kiosk for the corner of Nassau Street and Vandeventer Avenue. ,
