LAWRENCEVILLE INSTRUCTORS | Jonathan Kline, John Folan GROUP MEMBERS | Max Arocena, Conor Doyle, Lowell Day DATE | Fall10
LAWRENCEVILLE INSTRUCTORS | Jonathan Kline, John Folan DATE | Fall 10
riverfront remediation GROUP MEMBERS | Max Arocena, Lowell Day, Conor Doyle
This urban framework proposal was done in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon’s Urban Lab studio. The framework seeks to knit together adaptive transformation proposals made by other students with an overall scheme for reconnecting the neighborhood to the riverfront. Our proposal for the riverfront was derived after an analytical walk taken at the projects outset. The walk focused on the harsh borders which disconnect the neighborhood from the river: between the residential and industrial zones and between the riverfront and the industrial zone. Also noted was the presence of a series of abandoned and under used industrial era artifacts, whose monumental presence along the waterfront was something that we, as a group, wanted to emphasize and build upon. Through documenting and analyzing the border conditions we sub-divided the neighborhood into five zones based on both the alignment of unique conditions along the riverfront and industrial/residential border, as well as the presence of specific industrial artifacts within each zone that would serve as the center of a proposed node. The goal of the riverfront remediation proposal is to reconnect the existing neighborhood to the river, while diversifying the potential uses and activities along the water’s edge and increasing the overall amount of community and greenspace found within the neighborhood. Three different systems are proposed as the means to acheive this goal: infrastructure, land use, and ecology. These different systems are explored individually and recombined and developed into specific proposals at each node. The end result is a proposal which re-imagines the possibilities for engaging the riverfront, while maintaining the unique character of the neighborhood.
the riverfront remediation framework
THESIS SURFACE ARTS CAMP
b
d
e
ZONES
ARTIFACTS
PROPOSED NODES
ECOLOGY
a
ZONE 1
ELEVATED RAILWAY
BOARDWALK
WOODLAND
b
ZONE 2
40TH ST BRIDGE
PIER + BOAT LAUNCH
FOREST
c
ZONE 3
CONCRETE PLANT
NEIGHBORHOOD PARK
WOODLAND
d
ZONE 4
HEPPENSTALL
PIER + BOAT LAUNCH
MEADOW
e
ZONE 5
MCCONWAY-TORLEY
CSO WETLAND REMEDIATION
WETLAND
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
c
axonometric overview of framework (Bing Maps, Adobe Photoshop)
LIGHT MUSUEUM
a
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
documentation of our analytical walk (by Max Arocena)
analysis of existing ecology (Bing Maps, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator)
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
analysis of existing border conditions (by Lowell Day)
LAWRENCEVILLE INSTRUCTORS | Jonathan Kline, John Folan DATE | Fall 10
ecology system GROUP MEMBERS | Max Arocena, Lowell Day, Conor Doyle
Currently, the riverfront ecologies are severed from the rest of the neighborhood by the swath of industrial buildings. There is an overall lack of tree cover and ecological diversity in the neighborhood. The strategies in terms of ecological changes were to strengthen the existing ecology, diversify the amount and type of vegetation throughout the neighborhood, and finally to extend the ecology back through the neighborhood into order to connect to an existing greenspace above Butler St. The result is a series of green bridges, each branching off of one of the five nodes established at the projects outset. Each bridge is carried through a particular corridor back up into the neighborhood. Moving from Butler, each bridge terminates into a public space along the riverfront, and gives access to the continous bicycle and pedestrian trail. As seen in the exploded axonometric drawing, the bridging makes use of both the road corridor, and any adjacent vacancies to both densify the amount of vegetation, and create a unique promenade from Butler St. down to the riverfront. Within each one of these categories, different strategies are implemented based on what is appropriate considering both the existing street grading, as well as the adjacent properties and land uses along each corridor. Additionally environmental concerns dictated the assignment of ecologies such as the concentration of combined sewer outlets at the termination of 51st where a wetland remediation pond is proposed and a former creek rerouted and day lighted. In each instance, the proposed changes take advantage of the specific conditions of that corridor to both make it of its place while radically changing the experience of moving down the street. Different plants were chosen based on the creation of a vertical strata of ecology. Wetland, woodland, forest, and meadow ecologies are dispersed throughout the neighborhood through the strategic locating of vacancies and open space between the selected corridors, increasing the neighborhood’s overall diversity.
GOALS STRENGTHEN EXISTING ECOLOGIES, DIVERSIFY ECOLOGIES/VEGETATION THROUGHOUT NEIGHBORHOOD, EXTEND ECOLOGIES INTO NEIGHBORHOOD AS WAY-FINDING DEVICE
31st ST CORRIDOR
ZONE 2
40th ST CORRIDOR
THESIS
ZONE 1
SURFACE LIGHT MUSUEUM
ZONE 2
forest ecology
proposed ecological bridges (by Lowell Day)
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
woodland ecology
ARTS CAMP
ZONE 1
ZONE 3
43rd ST CORRIDOR
ZONE 3
woodland ecology
ZONE 4
meadow ecology
ZONE 4
47th ST CORRIDOR
51st ST CORRIDOR
THESIS
ZONE 5
SURFACE LIGHT MUSUEUM
wetland ecology
ARTS CAMP
ZONE 5
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
proposed ecological bridges (by Lowell Day)
LAWRENCEVILLE INSTRUCTORS | Jonathan Kline, John Folan DATE | Fall 10
land use system GROUP MEMBERS | Max Arocena, Lowell Day, Conor Doyle
Strategies in land use were mainly based off of ideas developed in the previous frameworks exercise. Our goal with land use changes was to increase the amount of recreational and community space along the river, while extending the existing neighborhood to the riverfront through open and under utilized spaces. Finally, a third component looked at modifying existing structures near the development of the five riverfront nodes, with an emphasis on maintaining the character of the neighborhood as well as a diversity and mix of uses. The extension of the neighborhood to the river in zones 4 and 5 would be the primary zone of development in the initial phase. Proposals made by other members of our studio for McConway-Torley and Iron City Brew sites, as well as a more comprehensive redevelopment of the 40th st corridor, would be the next phase of development. We imagine that in the future the remaining industrial zone has potential to be converted into a base for high tech industries, with the development of a light rail connecting the Lawrenceville riverfront with the existing tech corridor on the Mononghahela, as well as the Carnegie Mellon campus. The land use changes were developed in conjunction with the riverfront park and trail spaces, as the two large redevelopments at the each end of the neighborhood would serve to anchor the project in terms of creating a regional draw, while the spaces in between would mainly look to serve the local community, sheltering the existing neighborhood from increased deterioration. Before developing proposals for this extension, the existing neighborhood was analyzed for its existing block structures and building typologies. From this analysis, a target density was obtained by looking at which blocks were the healthiest. A series of different proposals for the grid structure were made, as wells as a finalized proposal for the building massing. The new housing would serve to densify the existing neighborhood, while reconnecting the neighborhood to the riverfront and eliminating the existing barrier.
GOALS INCREASE RECREATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SPACE ALONG RIVER, EXTEND EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD TO RIVERFRONT THROUGH OPEN SPACE, MODIFY EXISTING STRUCTURES NEAR NODES WITH EMPHASIS ON MIXED USE
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
existing block structure study (Bing Maps, Adobe Illustrator)
ZONES 4+5
block structure studies (Rhino, Adobe Illustrator)
transportation corridor (hand sketch, Abode Photoshop)
PROPOSED MASSING
ROWHOUSE UNITS
THESIS SURFACE LIGHT MUSUEUM
APARTMENT UNITS
ARTS CAMP
DETACHED UNITS
existing building typology study (Bing Maps, Adobe Illustrator)
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
proposed unit typologies (Rhino, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop)
LAWRENCEVILLE INSTRUCTORS | Jonathan Kline, John Folan DATE | Fall 10
infrastructure system GROUP MEMBERS | Max Arocena, Lowell Day, Conor Doyle
Lawrenceville’s riverfront is essentially isolated from the inner portion of the community, the residential lies on the southern side of the railroad tracks, and the industrial to the north. Many streets do not carry through after they cross Butler Avenue, creating an infrastructure issue in the riverfront, especially during the work day when commercial trucks navigate the narrow streets. A proposed road to the north of the rail line would alleviate some of this bottleneck while connecting streets all along the railway. The rail itself has a minimum of a 62’ allotment, so there would be room to keep the rail line, relocating it to the south of the corridor, and integrating it as a form of water remediation by placing a swale alongside. In between the two, a pedestrian path would serve to connect discontinuities seen in the walkability of this lower industrial area, and allow what is now an impassible zone along the riverfront to be experienced by the community. Along the riverfront, the existing trail would be strengthened and made continuous, connecting all the way to the existing river trail below 33rd st. Along this path both bikers and pedestrians would be accommodated. Movement along the path would be episodic, as open spaces dot the path anchored by nodes developed around the existing industrial artifacts.
GOALS DEVELOP MOVEMENT SYSTEMS PARALLEL TO RIVER, EXTEND EXISTING GRID TO RIVER IN STRATEGIC LOCATIONS, MITIGATE STORMWATER RUNOFF + CSO PROBLEMS THROUGH SWALES AND WETLANDS
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
proposed riverfront pathway (by Lowell Day)
ZONE 1
ZONE 2
PROVIDE PARKING AND CONNECTIONS FOR MANY DEAD END ROADS
ZONE 1
railway at 33rd street
ZONE 2
railway at 38th street
proposed railway corridor (by Conor Doyle)
ZONE 4
THESIS
ZONE 3
SURFACE
railway at 47th street
proposed railway corridor (by Conor Doyle)
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
ZONE 5
railway at 43rd street
ARTS CAMP
ZONE 3
CONNECT TO EXISTING TRAILS AND BUTLER STREET, ALLOWING THRU-TRAFFIC
LIGHT MUSUEUM
EXPAND TRAIL AND ROAD TO SERVE ALL OF LAWRENCEVILLE
LAWRENCEVILLE INSTRUCTORS | Jonathan Kline, John Folan DATE | Fall 10
riverfront nodes GROUP MEMBERS | Max Arocena, Lowell Day, Conor Doyle
Finally, specific place based proposals were made for each one of the nodes long the riverfront. The end result is a trail dotted with a variety of different potential experiences and uses that maintains the unique character and feel of the neighborhood. Uses included the development of an urban beach, water access and boat launch, a boardwalk, as well as a new neighborhood park surrounding the reimagined concrete plant structures. In addition, the river’s edge was coded in terms of the potential and need for remediation and development in order to limit and prevent future erosion of the shoreline, while strengthening and diversifying the existing vegetation.
proposed riverfront nodes (by Max Arocena)
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
proposed riverfront nodes (by Max Arocena)
proposed riverfront nodes (by Max Arocena)
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
proposed riverfront nodes (by Max Arocena)
proposed riverfront nodes (by Max Arocena)
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
proposed riverfront nodes (by Max Arocena)
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
proposed riverfront nodes (by Max Arocena)
JOSIAH HASKELL email: josiah.haskell@gmail.com phone: 970-319-7403