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the Harrisburg Urban Studio By Nathan Pigott Penn State and
HACC second-year architecture students are
designing a potential mixed-use building for the
empty lot at 1212 Market Street in Harrisburg. The Harrisburg Urban Studio, based on Auburn University School of Architecture's famous Rural Studio, is designed to provide architectural students with a practical learning experience while enhancing the environment of disadvantaged communities. "Through architecture, Auburn University's students and professors have vastly improved the communities and lives of people in one of the country's poorest regions. This is a concept that can be applied anywhere," Harrisburg Mayor Reed said when he formed a task force to develop the concept in the City. One of the first Urban Studio projects will be a second-year architectural design studio at Penn State University and Harrisburg Area Community College. HACC offers students a two-year architecture program that is designed to propel them into a four or five year program at an accredited college or university. Penn State offers an accredited architecture program. So the synergy between the two schools is not only exciting for the students but will benefit stressed communities in the City. According to HACC professor Bruce Quigley, mixed-use buildings such as the live/work model have often been used in urban areas but more recently the use has slowly diminished. However, it is commonly believed that live/work spaces can be very valuable in urban neighborhoods. The goal for Quigley's students is to explore different options and develop an appropriate mixed-use model for modern day Harrisburg. "This housing type, mixed-use, is not being developed in the city, but it is a practical use," Quigley said. "Our goal is to show them that this is a viable project. While the final student design may never be built, through the Urban Studio, there is a chance that it might influence the city's decision to build." Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed
formed a Task Force to both set up the Harrisburg
Urban Studio and find communities in the city that
could benefit from the program. The Penn State professors instructing the course are Lisa Iulo, Alexandra Staub, Loukas Kalisperis and Jason Boris. Iulo says that while being away from the site provides an extra challenge, it is something that her students will face in the future. "Being closer to a site is a luxury in terms of being able to verify site conditions, however this is not always possible. The experience of working with an actual site and taking a site visit to document existing conditions is a valuable learning experience of this project," she said. The build site is a vacant lot between two existing structures located at 1212 Market Street between the primarily residential neighborhood of Allison Hill and the Downtown. The area is approximately 30' wide by 70' deep with concrete stairway that connects the public from Bailey Street to Market Street. To start the project, Quigley says the students examined the urban condition of the city and did a complete site analysis, which included a diagram of the roadways, the city grid, a housing and building analysis of the region, an urban fabric analysis. "Each one of the diagrams will influence the project in different but equal ways," Kevin Finegan, one of Quigley's students, said. "They are all important to finding a design that will function." Quigley says the initial analysis is one of the most important steps in the design process. The students will "gain experience gathering information, obtaining and organizing data, and working in collaboration with each other to render information and data useful for design," he said. "Site analysis and program development are important tools for understanding and evaluating information about the project." HACC students,
along with students from Penn State, will present
their final projects during a ceremony on March 2
at the Harrisburg Transportation Center. The projects are due at the end of February and both Penn State and HACC students will present their designs during the Harrisburg Urban Studio kick off event to be held at the Harrisburg Transportation Center on March 2. "We are looking forward to the event," Connor Pitetti, a HACC student, said. "Being able to compare our designs with the Penn State students' is going to be very interesting." During the formal portion of this event Bruce Lindsey, the co-director of Auburn's Rural Studio and Mayor Reed will speak on the importance of architecture, education and community design. The Urban Studio is a part of Mayor Reed's Harrisburg Urban Initiative. The Harrisburg Urban Initiative (HUI) is a group of area community, business and professional leaders who provide volunteer support and assistance to the Harrisburg School District and communities at the Mayor's request. The Urban Initiative has developed programs to assist the school district's art and music programs and has helped in the formation of the Harrisburg Urban Studio, which uses college architecture students to revitalize Harrisburg's urban areas. For more information, contact Nathan Pigott at 717.975.2148 or npigott@hersheyphilbin.com. |
