Partnership for Innovation (Pi) adaptively reuses a former
garment manufacturing building, transforming it into a technology incubator.
Through modest architectural interventions, the projects raw, adaptable
interior spaces foster invention among incubator tenants by providing
economical space and a platform for collaboration and community among fledging
tech companies.

Pi appropriates an existing loading dock, transforming it
into a dynamic entry threshold for the facility, access for light industrial deliveries
to tenant spaces, and handicap access to the entire building. An installation
of industrial reflectors marks the building’s entry, signaling the beginning of
a specific type of branded experience that carries through the entire building.
The conspicuity array marks entry, creates a transition, and promotes
pedestrian safety for doors that open immediately onto a tight street. The array augments the “gritty” architecture
of its industrial building, and acts as a visual cue for vehicular and pedestrian
travelers along a narrow but important urban corridor.

The new entry faces the City’s recently-developed Greenway,
creating a highly-visible face for Pi along the district’s main artery. In
reference to the Greenway’s former use as a railroad, the array’s 138
industrial-issue reflective flags dominate Pi’s facade. While the rest of the
alley is marked by dumpsters and other “back of house” fixtures, Pi’s façade
addresses the industrial vernacular and elevates it with modest rough elegance.
The conspicuity array marks entry, signals transition, and promotes pedestrian
safety for doors that open immediately onto a tight street. The array augments
the “gritty” architecture of its industrial building, and acts as a visual cue
for vehicular and pedestrian travelers along a narrow but important urban
corridor.