Experts are becoming increasingly interested in the potential for modular construction to reduce building costs in Philadelphia which has the fourth highest costs in the nation.  The When We Fix it Coalition and the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia recently released a report on the costs and impacts of modular construction called Going Mod: Reducing Housing Costs in Philadelphia with Modular Construction.

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The Community Design Collaborative just completed its first batch of projects for 2010, taking on design projects for urban sites as varied as a horse stable, an old neighborhood theater, and a pedestrian mall.  Northwestern Stables, Inc., Central Germantown Council, Wynnefield Overbrook Revitalization Corporation, and Overbrook Presbyterian Church will now be able to visualize and move forward with their plans thanks to the conceptual design and creative problem solving of our volunteer teams.

We’ve been delighted with the steady stream of visitors to our Retooling Industrial Sites exhibit following the 300 plus turnout at the opening reception.  In case you haven’t stopped by yet, drop by soon—the exhibit closes on Friday, March 26.  The exhibit is open Monday-Friday 10am-6pm and Sunday 12-5pm.

Of the 52 projects on display in the Retooling Industrial Sites exhibit, more than 20 are from design firms that have volunteered with the Collaborative.  Their projects represent some of the leading examples of industrial reuse in the greater Philadelphia region. Several of the projects by Collaborative volunteers are scheduled to be completed in the coming months and others have recently gotten their first tenants.  The designs have transformed former industrial buildings and land back to productive use so they can once again be assets to the surrounding community.

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Karena works on the Collaborative's PARK(ing) Day Installation.

Intern architect Karena Thurston is something of a jack of all trades for the Collaborative. She’s volunteered on design projects, written policy papers, and created installations.  The common thread in all her roles has been her passion and wide-ranging expertise , which have helped the Collaborative incorporate green design into  its work and explore the relationship between design, community-building and sustainability.
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A team of Collaborative volunteers is working with Cedar Parks Neighbors to create design strategies for redeveloping the commercial corridor on Baltimore Avenue from 49th to 52nd Street. The volunteer team led by David Hincher, an architect at Kieran Timberlake, recently held a community meeting to get neighborhood input on design ideas and to discuss visions for revitalizing the corridor.

Read the University City Review article about the project.

Collaborative volunteers will develop a conceptual master plan to revitalize Weccaccoe Playground.

The Community Design Collaborative has awarded its first round of service grants for 2010 to The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation, Mantua Community Improvement Committee, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Friends of Weccacoe Playground/Queen Village Neighbors Association, The Friends of Hart Park/Kensington South Neighborhood Advisory Council, Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates and Roxborough Development Corporation.  In this round, many of the Collaborative’s clients are working to provide Philadelphia neighborhoods with access to healthy food, and vibrant parks and public spaces.

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Landscape improvements along 63rd Street in Overbrook Farms designed by Sara Pevaroff Schuh.

Pedestrians and drivers along the 63rd Street Commercial Corridor in historic Overbrook Farms will get a treat this spring when the sidewalk planters built by the Overbrook Farms Club emerge from the snow and begin to bloom.

The landscape improvements were designed by Sara Pevaroff Schuh, Principal of SALT Design Studio and a regular Collaborative volunteer, as part of a larger effort by the Overbrook Farms Club (OFC) to enliven its neighborhood commercial corridor, which extends from City Line Avenue to Woodbine Avenue. The initial idea for the project came from a master plan for the corridor that Collaborative volunteers developed in 2007 to provide OFC with a vision for revitalization and strategies for beautification, façade improvements, and site identity.

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