Connecting people, place, and innovation

University of Cincinnati Digital Futures

Location	Cincinnati, Ohio
Client	GBBN Architects, KieranTimberlake, Terrex Development and Construction, and The University of Cincinnati
Expertise	Research & Design Innovation
Size	5.58 acres
Completion	2022

A Framework for Exchange

The University of Cincinnati’s Digital Futures development brings together researchers, students, industry partners, and members of the surrounding Uptown community. Working alongside GBBN Architects, we designed the landscape for a multiple-building development, creating a connected series of plazas, pedestrian routes, and gathering spaces.

Cincinnati uptown green ribbon site design group

The work of UC’s Digital Futures labs served as a primary inspiration for the landscape design. Pedestrian paths form circuit-like connections that reflect the buildings’ digital focus, linking the development to surrounding streets and guiding movement between buildings. At key points, these pathways widen or break apart to create spaces for gathering, socializing, and pause. A pocket park between the two primary buildings provides a more intimate setting for informal interaction, while a prominent plaza at Reading Road and Martin Luther King Drive establishes a welcoming public presence and offers space for community use and pedestrian respite.

Because the landscape is constructed over a parking garage, the design required careful coordination of circulation, planting depths, drainage, and structural constraints. Layered plantings and a collection of distinctive furnishings help define the outdoor spaces, adding comfort, character, and seasonal interest throughout the development.