PROGRAM: environment and community center in
Frick Park
SITE: existing parking lot in flood plain
between active rail road and Monongahela River
CONCEPT: invite people to slow down so that they can reconnect with
their place, the
first step in taking joy in caring for their community and their environment.
STRATEGY: engage community in slow
activities of gardening, cooking, studying the
forest, biking, and enjoying the river.
exterior:
elevate building above flood plane, creating sheltered understory park for
farmer’s market and other events; pull
back existing retaining wall to create terraced riverfront seating;
increase river access for fishermen, bikers, pedestrians, and students by
diverting existing bike and pedestrian path to new river-level board walk, link
park and building with existing transportation networks of train, automobiles,
bikes, pedestrians, and boats. interior: use circulation as “decelerator,” tapering to slow the pace
of visitor’s movement; create open, transparent community center including
reception, kitchen, library, conference room, and indoor/outdoor dining and
reading space adjacent to community garden terrace; direct each classroom to a
specific educational goal: the forest lab for studying forest ecology, the
industry classroom for lectures on Pittsburgh’s industrial heritage, and the
workshop-style garden and greenhouse classrooms, which can be combined into one
large work space. Concentrate
mechanical systems in service cores that reach to ground, including batteries
for solar cells and cisterns for rain water collected on roof. Utilize passive solar heating and
passive ventilation.
MATERIALS
+ STRUCTURE: Perforated oxidized
sheet metal and wood on exterior; wood, perforated and brushed aluminum sheet
on interior; multiple, structurally-independent braced frame bays with open web
joist butterfly roof.
PROCESS: hand drafts, physical models,
experiential montages, hand sketches
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