Schaeffer Intermediate
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VA C A N T S C H O O L STUDY
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WEST END
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Holy Innocents
Schaeffer Primary
JUNE 26, 2014
Thaddeus Stevens
FRONT STUDIO ARCHITECTS* D E LTA D E V E L O P M E N T CHARLES UHL CIPHER,LLC B L U E M O U N TA I N P AT R I C I A A . J A M E S O N , P H D BARBER & HOFFMAN BDA K L AV O N D E S I G N GEO-MECHANICS, INC
M A R K E T A N A LY S I S * P R E S E R V AT I O N S E R V I C E S C O S T E S T I M AT I O N * H A Z A R D O U S M AT E R I A L M G M T COMMUNITY OUTREACH* STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS M . E . P. E N G I N E E R S LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS* GEO-TECHNICAL ENGINEERS* *Minority and/or women-owned Business Enterprises
375 NORTH CRAIG ST
P I T T S B U R G H PA 1 5 2 1 3
T 412 682 2121
F 412 682 2151
W W W. F R O N T S T U D I O . C O M
S TAT E M E N T O F I N T E R E S T “People are eager for experience!” Throughout all of our adaptive reuse projects, our goals are to work with residents to facilitate growth and to create vibrant, livable, equitable, sustainable communities. We believe that Architecture has the capacity to reflect the creative energy of its surroundings and empower its users.
All around Pittsburgh, neighborhoods are reinventing themselves, adapting to existence as vital parts of a post-industrial urban center. Until now, the West End has received little attention and risks falling behind its counterparts throughout the city. The West End Vacant School Study offers a dynamic possibility to revitalize, envigorate and inspire a region of Pittsburgh that has a rich history, a great location, beautiful natural landscape and a diverse, dedicated and proud population. The 2013 U.S. Workplace Survey substantiates the 40+ year philosophy of Front Studio Architects’ Principal, Art Lubetz:
Front Studio Architects has experience with many communitybased projects and our system of nurturing close contact with a broad spectrum of commuity organizations generates excitement for the project and an understanding of the ultimate neighborhood’s needs. A consensus of opinions and priorities of the community are used to produce programs and places that are fully in sync with the needs of those spaces they will serve. Furthermore, Front Studio Architects’ experience as the developer for similar adaptive reuse projects would offer a unique perspective to this study. We are keenly aware of the multiple aspects of redevelopment that can be a formidable task and can seem daunting. Our process emphasizes collaboration and research to achieve experientially powerful, environmentally responsive, and
functional architecture. Our practice has won national and international awards through projects that evoke visionary imagery. Front Studio pursues an approach to architecture which engages the users imagination. In addition to a rigorous design methodology, we embrace opportunities to instill projects with a sense of lightness and environmental conciousness. The results meet client’s expectations by offering unique solutions to complement programmatic requirements. Our projects go through a meticulous review process that includes code compliance, strict budget considerations, environmental impact assessments, and sound construction practices. Our firm’s work makes use of provocative, yet economical materials to produce fresh and unique solutions. In the West End Vacant School Study, our aim would be to help the neighborhoods capture the area’s potential, create a regional draw and to accelerate development as it evolves into a more livable, contemporary, and sustainable community all while staying true to its residents’ history, values and character.
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FRONT STUDIO| COMMUNITY BASED PROJECTS Sharpsburg Library - Renovation and addition. From a one-story concreteblock building to a daring community center, Pittsburgh Quarterly describes Front Studio’s design for the Sharpsburg Community Library as “an effective metaphor for the experience of the library as a place where a community assembles.” It will be under construction in Fall 2014.
Glass Lofts Commissioned as an integral part of a community revitalization program. The Glass Lofts is the result of an intense planning process actively involving neighborhood residents, artists, and business owners in the development of the project. The project recieved a PA State Design Award.
Squirrel Hill Carnegie Library - The renovation of the 18,000 sf main Squirrel Hill Branch with an 8,000 sf addition redefined the space as a community information center. This project was the recipient of a 2007 AIA Pittsburgh Design Honor Award.
Allegheny Valley YMCA - Large scale community and athletic center. Weekly meetings were held with boards and user groups throughout the design process.
Ohioview Acres Community Building - Several community meetings were hosted by ACHA representatives to determine the needs of the officers from the Headstart Program.
FSA has done numerous ACHA projects which required bi-weekly meetings with multiple interest groups.
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FRONT STUDIO| ADAPTIVE REUSE PROJECTS Crucible Building- Large mill building in the Strip District, converted into 96 apartments
1135 Penn Ave*- Poultry Slaughterhouse converted into mixed-use apartments/offices.
357 North Craig St*Former auto repair garage converted to 12,000 sq.ft of office space where Front Studio Architects is currently located.
500 South Highland Ave*Large mansion structure repurposed into four apartments. 323 Richland Lane* Mansion transformed into five apartments. 424 Shady Ave*- Large mansion repurposed into four apartments. 73 McCandless Ave*Truck terminal to be converted into multipurpose office space College Ave- Shadyside Church converted into condominiums. *Art Lubetz acted as both the architect and developer for these projects
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PROPOSED TIMELINE FOR STUDY
Existing Conditions Existing Conditions Survey and Docs Regional Connectivity Plan Historic Designation / Tax Credit HVAC System Evaluation Structural Evaluation Lead and Asbestos Evaluation Energy Efficiency Assessment Zoning Analysis
Schematic Design Building Feasibility / Potential Uses Building Analysis Study Space Layout Facade Design Environmental Impact Study Cost Estimate
Data Collection Kickoff Meeting and Organization Local Real Estate Interviews Data Collection
Data Analysis Assessment of Potential Uses Identification of Reuse Options
Final Report
Committee Meeting 4: Refinements & Recommendations
Community Meeting 2
Consultants
Committee Meeting 3: Preliminary Recommendations
Delta Development
Committee Meeting 2: Progress Meeting
Front Studio Architects
Committee Meeting 1: Status of Test Fit & Data Findings
Legend
Community Meeting 1
Final Recommendations
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M A R K E T A N A LY S I S | D E LTA D E V E L O P M E N T PHASE 1: DATA COLLECTION/ PROJECT OVERVIEW Delta proposes to conduct a high-level market review and a highest and best use assesment to develop a list of potential reuse options for the four (4) vacant schools in located in the West End Neightborhoods of Sheraden, Elliot, and Crafton Heights. The reuse options will include the potential for both commercial and residential uses. TASK 1.1: KICK-OFF MEETING AN DORGANIZATIONAL REVIEW To begin the project, the Delta team will participate in a kick-off meeting with the project committee to dicuss the project’s background and to review the work plan. The information obtained during this committee meeting will assist in reviewing the goals and relevant site information. TASK 1.2: INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS Delta will conduct up to 10 interviews to gain a better understanding of the commercial and residential market in the West End neighborhood. The interviews will be supplemented with online research. The interviews will include: a. Local and regional real estate professionals to gather intelligence about the real estate market, to include things such as absorption statistics (if available), lease rates, competitive sites, etc. b. Local and regional planning departments to identify future developments that could impact the marketability of each site. c. Inteviews with residential/commercial developers. TASK 1.3: DATA COLLECTION TASK 1.3A: DETERMINE THE TRADE AREAS As available, Delta will use geographic information systems (GIS) software to map a primary and secondary (if applicable) market area for the study
area. Industry standards will be used to define the market area considering well-known barriers to access such as resident draw area, commuter patterns and drive time, consumer draw area, and psychographics. This are will be used to display demographic trends and competitor information. TASK 1.3B: DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE Delta will use ESRI demographic data to develop a profile of the primary and secondary market areas. The analysis will include population trends, including age and income definintions, and migration patterns. The analysis will identify by zip code (for marketing purposes) target population characteristics. TASK 1.3C: INDUSTRY TRENDS AND WORKFORCE CHARACTERISTICS A statistical assessment will be conducted of the local and regional economy that identifities current industry strengths, growth industries, emerging industries, and demographic characteristics of the workforce. This data will also include the distriution of firms, and space requirements per employee. TASK 1.3D: RESIDENTIAL HOUSING - SUPPLY Delta will collect data relative to the supply of residential housing in the primary and secondary trade areas. This data will include the age of housing, trends and price points for both owneroccupied and rental housing, the product mix in the market place, new construction and vacancy rates, time on the market.
PHASE 2: ANALYSIS TASK 2.1: ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL USES Using information gathered during the market assessment, Delta professionals will assess the characteristics of the four sites and identify potential target uses based on strategic market indicators. This analysis will give specific condiseration to land uses that could take advantage of the infrastructure (e.g., logistics), and/or market access or industry trends that the site could offer to potential tenants. As such, this review will consider a variety of uses, such as residential, commercial, and business services. In addition, Delta will prioritize compatible land uses for each site. The process will begin with the identification of a set of review criteria by which each use will be evaluated, to include the following factors: - Zoning and land use restrictions - Community sentiment - Existing/planned land uses adjacent to the site - Initial capital outlay - Economic and fiscal impacts - Public funding and potential public/private partnerships - Overall return on investment TASK 2.2: IDENTIFICATION OF REUSE OPTIONS Utilizing the findings from the previous tasks, Delta will match preferred target uses with site characteristics to identify the “highest and best” use(s) for each of the four sites.
TASK 1.3E: COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT SUPPLY Delta will collect data relative to the supply of commercial development within the primary and secondary trade areas. This data will include the quality of the commerical development, lease rates, sales price, product mix, size, new construction, land development plans for new projets, vacancy rates, and financial incentives such as tax credits.
TASK 2.3: FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS At the conclusion of the market assessment, Delta will meet with the project comittee and community to review and validate findings. Delta will prepare a concise report for each of the four schools that provide an overview of its research methodology and the quantitiative and qualitiative results of the analysis. The report will be prepared efficiently, providing all the data necessary to drive decision making, but will not be laden with unessential narrative. Based on the feedback, Delta will TASK 1.3F: KEY FINDINGS finalize a written report to help the West End Alliance Delta will identify key findings based on the assessment of data collected from all previous tasks. repurpose the 4 vacant schools in West End. This assessment will be used to develp a preliminary Deliverables: list of potential target uses for further assessment and prioritization. Market Assessment - Highest and Best Use
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P R I N C I PA L S | F R O N T S T U D I O A R C H I T E C T S ART LUBETZ Art founded Lubetz Associates in 1967, an architectural firm recognized for creating memorable, experiential architecture, which eventually joined with Front Studio Architects. The practice produced the award winning Carnegie Library at Squirrel Hill and the Glass Lofts. He is a former board member and past president of Preservation Pittsburgh. He was also a founding member of the Pittsburgh Community Design Center and the Environment Design Collaborative. For the past 20 years, Art has been an active adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
YEN HA Yen started Front Studio in New York, NY in 2001. She completed her undergraduate work at Carnegie Mellon University with honors, followed by post-graduate work in urbanism at L’École d’Architecture in Paris, France. Fluent in French and Vietnamese, Yen is a LEED professional and licensed architect whose work has been featured in Interior Design, Icon Magazine, Wallpaper and the NY Times. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the NewSchool of Architecture + Design in San Diego, CA.
M I C H I Y A N A G I S H I TA Michi has been a part of Front Studio since 2005. Michi is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and studied at the Glasgow School for Art in Scotland. A native born Japanese speaker, she is a licensed architect. Her work on the Harlem Townhouse was featured in the New York Times Real Estate section; in addition she has been published in AIT, Arch+ and AD Magazine.
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Bio1
P R O F I L E S | C O N S U LTA N T S
Because Front Studio is an architecture-only practice, all of our projects require assembling a team. We have a commitment to women and majority owned businesses. For this project, we have selected the follow firms: D E LTA D E V E L O P M E N T G R O U P Market Analysis Lynn Colosi is the vice-president of Delta Development and oversees transit oriented development. This women-owned team will lead the development analysis efforts with reviews of previous studies by WEA, Fourth River and others, conduct interviews with local real estate professionals, collect data via GIS software, create a demographic profile (with ESRI), analyze current industry trends and workforce characteristics, and analyze housing and commercial development supply. With this data, they will create an assessment of potential uses (and reuse options). B L U E M O U N TA I N - H A Z A R D O U S M AT E R I A L M G M T. Blue Mountain-Environmental Management Corporation – is a progressive, full-service engineering, technical and management consulting firm with a staff that includes engineers, scientists, industrial hygienists,
CIPHER, LLC
CIPHER, LLC- Cost Estimates Cipher, LLC – is a certified DBE, WBE firm located in Cranberry Township that provides professional cost estimating services with more than 45 years of experience for many types of clients, including similar adaptive reuse projects. CHARLES UHL- Historic Preservation Historic Preservation Services / Charles Uhl – Mr. Uhl will evaluate the four buildings for their historic potential. He is a preeminent historic preservation expert, and was a founder of Preservation Pennsylvania.
BARBER & HOFFMAN- Structural Engineering Barber & Hoffman Structural Engineers has over 75 years of experience. BDA ENGINEERING I N C . - M . E . P. Engineering BDA has 25 years of experience in comprehensive HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and forensic engineering services. P AT R I C I A A . JAMESON, PHDCommunity Facilitation Patricia A. Jameson, PhD has myriad experience as a moderator and would provide community meeting facilitation. K L AV O N D E S I G N Over 30 years of landscape and planning experience. This women-owned business has won many awards. GEO-MECHANICS INC. Geotechnical engineering. Minority-owned firm with over 50 years of experience.
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Bio 2
375 NORTH CRAIG ST
P I T T S B U R G H PA 1 5 2 1 3
T 412 682 2121
F 412 682 2151
W W W. F R O N T S T U D I O . C O M