Plugging in to Francisville
Architecture to accommodate nationwide technology education today + tomorrow
- Type: Civic, Academic, Urban Planning, John Stewardson Memorial Competition Entry
- Date: January 2014
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA| Francisville Neighbrhood
- Team Members: n/a
- Size: 800,000 sf (74,300 sqm) master plan | 62,000 sf (5,800 sqm) retail | 60,000 sf (5,600 sqm) civic | 52 unit residential
The charge of this state-wide, 10-day, university level architecture competition was straightforward: explore a “big picture vision” for the 1500 Block of Ridge Avenue in North Philadelphia, a blighted neighborhood that has seen a sharp downturn over 50 years from its former glory as a vibrant storefront corridor and industrial laborer community. However, the development of a concept required effective identification of the cultural, social, historical, and present-day dynamics of the dormant Francisville neighborhood. A former working class factory community, residents are losing the connections to their neighbors and to their locality through deterioration of common interests, professions, and culture. Only now is Francisville recovering, and there is a chance to capitalize on the coming change of this local community and of Philadelphia as a city that can hope to build on the existing working-man, production based roots. This proposal seeks to explore how a town center and urban fabric can be updated for the digital age.
Concept Sketch for Plugging-In Plan
Process Drawings of Residences
Concept Diagram of Data Center as Generator for Francisville Development
View of Warehouse Repurposed to Data Center from Community Technology School Plaza