The smell of coffee and fresh apple strudel fills the air directly around the exterior tables, finally being released after many months of containment inside the café itself. The tables are placed close together in an orderly fashion and are off to the side of the courtyard area. They are sheltered somewhat due to their proximity to the main building, but also allow for contact with the sun, depending on the time of day. Upon taking a seat there, the pedestrian can observe the square that surrounds the café. The covered walkway, which borders the length of the busy shopping street, provides a buffer zone between the harsh environment of a downtown street and that of an urban retreat. Square cedar columns line the walkway and a mass of dark green ivy and clematis vines cover the flat wooden top of the structure and occasionally droop down. The sweet scent of the flowering vines permeates the various spaces in and around the covered walkway. This type of configuration also provides the pedestrian with places to sit, smooth ledges to lean on, shelter from the sun and rain. Framed views of the city occur through the open spaces between the columns and provide a link to the city for the pedestrian inside the square. For the tired window shopper on the street, these fragments of the urban haven invite them to enter- there is a hint that amidst the soulless deserts of steel and stone there is a place where the pedestrian can be free.

The square is enclosed in different ways on each of the four sides of the site. To the north and west sides, which border on quiet streets, there is an unexpected profusion of nature in the heart of the city. This urban forest provides another transitional space and is filled with rows of schwedleri maple trees. These are unusual trees mostly of a burgundy coloring with bits of green. In the fall, leaves turn a bright yellow-orange, creating a distinctive and colorful scene against the red brick and glass building on the opposite side of the street and the plaza with its various parts. The trees are planted in decorative stone planters, each one placed in a raised bed filled with a mix of annuals and perennials that change seasonally and bordered by low, decorative railings. Mixed with the unmistakable smells of the city are the delicate scents of the pink and white peonies and lilies of the valley, which for a few weeks in the spring sweeten the air. In between the trees are a number of paved pathways providing direct access to the enclosed space or back to the city streets. The entire floor of the square as well as the urban furniture provides the pedestrian with a number of sensual experiences. This information is conveyed through the use of different materials- flagstones, cobbles, bricks, pebbles, mosaics, etc. and through the variety of colors and textures inherent in each material- sandstone, slate, granite, etc. The geometric pattern of the ground denotes the various areas of the square and adds a pleasant feeling, characteristic of an Italian piazza.

The square itself contains a variety of seating options, depending on the pedestrian’s reason for being there- whether it is to sit alone or to meet friends. There is a change in level in the center of the courtyard and a set of granite stairs rises up above grade to reveal a reflecting pool of fresh water. Walking along the street one may catch a glimpse of a sudden sparkle or a dance of light on the stone wall behind, indicating the presence of clean, sparkling water. At night when the lamps surrounding the enclosed space are lit the pool reflects the scene, still and calm until a passerby touches the water and distorts the image by sending a series of ripples radiating out towards the opposite end. The summer months witness the outdoor plaza coming alive with people of all types: families, young adults and the elderly. During the winter the exterior pool becomes a flat plane of ice beckoning for the graceful movements of the skaters. The trees are draped with small sparkles of white light, which create a winter utopia when matched with the shimmering powers of ice and the soft blankets of snow.

The exterior façades of the main building which shelters the entire square from the busy street traffic and noise on the south and partly on the west also provides resting places. A wide ledge, interspersed with columns that divide it into alcoves offers backrests and the projecting bays create several concave places where the pedestrian may sit and people-watch or talk with others. The building itself uses a subtle mix of materials- rubble stone, which provides a textured surface and is common in the area, along with glass and copper, which are also predominant. The building is low and follows the line of the street with a slightly sloped roof so as not to cast too much of a shadow over the courtyard area, but enough to experience some relief from the sun if desired. The facades, which border the two streets, have a monumental quality, but provide occasional views through large glass areas, to the colonnade on the opposite side so as to hint to the presence of the space beyond.

The defining element of this urban plaza is a square clock tower, seen from many parts of the city. It rises up from the main pavilion on the southeast corner and provides a viewing platform for the metropolis. Viewing can take place from a number of levels and the tower adds a medieval quality to the plaza as well as a landmark for the city. Upon leaving the peaceful square, the pedestrian can always turn back and see the tower in the distance, a reassurance that one can never fully lose contact with this urban retreat.