Workshop of the World: Uniting Community and Creating Opportunity through Adaptive Reuse

An abundance of abandoned structures exist in post-industrial cities throughout the United States. Many of these structures have significant historical and cultural ties which contribute to the identity of the city. This project seeks to examine how these remnants can be adaptively reused or revalued to strengthen and regenerate communities while retaining elements of the character and history of the site and building. Using the city of Philadelphia and the Delaware Riverfront as a case study, this project focuses on the PECO Delaware Generating Station as a final design proposal.

Status: School Project
Location: Philadelphia, PA, US
My Role: Designer
Additional Credits: Garth Rockcastle - Thesis Advisor

Aerial:
The site is located along the Delaware River beside the existing historic Penn Treaty Park.

Street Front Approach:
Street front retail and a ramp into building activate, excite, and help pull people into the building.

Create: Graffiti Gallery
The grit of the building as it has fallen into disrepair is maintained through promoting street art with a basement level Grafitti Gallery that allows artists to create temporary work on the concrete walls.

Make: Maker Space
A joint public / private maker space provides the public with the space and tools to create while interacting with the start-up and private companies located on the floors above.

Innovate: Start-Up Space
Flexible start-up space (horizontal and vertical).

Connect: Turbine Hall
The internal street (repurposed turbine hall) provides a grand entry and gathering space for people from all of the many uses to gather and interact.

Section Perspective
Highlights the different uses throughout the building and the intended interaction amongst occupants.

Site Plan
Turbine Hall (the internal street) acts as a connector between the existing Penn Treaty Park and a new urban farm to the North. In an effort to naturally filter runoff while providing additional waterfront property, a series of "fingers" have been carved into the bank of the river. Street improvements and sustainability measures will be used as way finding devices to help pull people from Fishtown to the riverfront to further activate the space.

Create: Ground Floor
The Ground Floor consists primarily of Street Front Retail, Graffiti Gallery, and parking.

Make: Piano Nobile
The First Floor Consists primarily of Maker Space, Turbine Hall, and Office Space. There is also a Museum component located in the re-purposed coal tower.

Innovate: Typical Incubator Floor
The Incubator Floors consist of Flexible Office Space with an education component allowing start-ups to interact with universities and members of the community.

Execute: Typical Office Floor
The Office Floors are very similar to the Incubator spaces consisting of Flexible Office Space with an education component allowing Corporations to interact with universities and members of the community.