re s i de n t i a l a r c h i t e c t u re
Residential Architecture
re s i denti al ar c h i tectu re Introduction Westbury Neighborhood, Portsmouth, Virginia
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The Ledges, Huntsville, Alabama
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Erie Station Village, West Henrietta, New York
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Broadway Overlook, Baltimore, Maryland
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Daybreak Houses, South Jordan, Utah
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Easton Houses, Easton, Maryland
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© 2008 urban de sign associate s
Jewish Community Organization Building,
urban design associates
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Clarksdale, Louisville, Kentucky
22
Introduction
Residential Architecture
a rchite c t ur a l design in te gr it y is essential to the successful creation of beautiful neighborhoods, towns, and villages. Steeped in the understanding of traditional patterns and their correct application – the key to sustaining high design integrity over time – UDA marries that expertise with forward thinking and rigorous analysis of the inherited legacy of a place. The combination enables UDA to design unique neighborhoods and invent new forms that are imbued with the historical character of their particular locale while satisfying 21st century marketplace needs and preferences and the specific goals of each client’s program. UDA’s residential architecture grows out of the firm’s urban design projects and concepts. We believe that homebuilding is also neighborhood building and that the success of one is inextricably linked to the other. For that reason, we line neighborhood spaces with a diverse range of house types, in a carefully selected array of architectural styles and character, to create cohesive, whole places of enduring quality. This mix of architectural styles provides the sense of permanence we feel in places that have been built over time, even though today’s developments are often constructed in relatively short time frames. The public facades of homes are also the facades of the neighborhood public spaces. Consequently, the image of houses facing the streets and open spaces of the community has great impact on the character and perceived quality of the individual residences and the neighborhood as a whole. UDA’s attention to detail in the design of windows, doors, porches, and features such as dormers or towers contributes powerfully to those positive perceptions. Successful Collaboration
To create a special place, one must be able to give it a unique character that distinguishes it from its competition and elevates its desirability in the marketplace, while also ensuring its financial viability and construction feasibility. UDA works collaboratively with our clients, marketing specialists, developers, builders, and engineers to accomplish this.
Residential Architecture
step two
step one
u da a rchite c t ur e pro cess
urban design vision and analysis of place
To strike the right balance between building industry recognized standardized construction technologies and unique design, UDA works closely with builders to identify the specific elements that can be custom designed within their standard products. We start by analyzing the builder’s standard products and the architecture of the region in which the development will be built. All members of the team participate to build consensus on the essential elements that need to be included. We then create architectural designs that provide opportunities for incorporating custom features – and thus enable individual home buyers to create the feel of uniqueness they desire – without compromising cost effectiveness. In addition to a variety of single-family houses, the building types typically also include attached houses, townhouses, and sometimes small apartment buildings – all of which fall within the range of the homebuilding industry. Preliminary designs are tested in large-scale models of the development plan and refined as needed.
collaborative
Seamless Integration of Services
work session
The integration of UDA’s Architecture, Pattern Book and Urban Design services brings considerable expertise and value to our clients. Having all three of these services under one roof provides clients with seamless melding of the architectural and urban design concepts throughout the design and development processes. It also streamlines the process for greater efficiency.
sustain-
program analysis
site
ability
and
analysis
and green
testing
principles
step three
UDA Portfolio
client review and testing
design solution
On the following pages, you’ll find a sampling of projects from our portfolio that illustrate the wide range of residential architecture and neighborhood character UDA is able to create using our approach to residential architecture projects.
Residential Architecture
Westbury Neighborhood portsmouth · v irginia
the w estbury neighbor ho od of Portsmouth rose from the dust of the demolished, 45-year-old Ida Barbour public housing project. The dense, barracks-style project was never modernized; its street patterns, infrastructure and utilities were obsolete, dilapidated and unsafe. UDA’s Master Plan replaced 650 units of public housing with 424 new homes in a sustainable, mixed-income neighborhood at the edge of Portsmouth’s historic Olde Towne. Drawing on the inherited architectural vocabulary found in Old Towne and Westbury’s surrounding neighborhoods, UDA designed a portfolio of houses. Their Victorian, Classical, and Colonial Revival styles create a rich building fabric and give the neighborhood a unique sense of place. The houses were designed for economical construction with the amenities, materials, and traditional detailing carefully chosen to appeal to the Portsmouth in-town market. Rental and for sale, subsidized and non-subsidized singleand multi-family houses are of consistent quality, fostering cohesiveness and community spirit and eliminating the pervasive social isolation of the former housing project.
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Residential Architecture
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Westbury
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(above) These regionally inspired houses replaced a dilapidated and demoralizing 1950s housing project with a desirable mixedincome residential neighborhood.
(left) This new threefamily townhouse resembles the forms and designs of housing in nearby residential neighborhoods.
Residential Architecture
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Westbury
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(above) Houses are positioned on their lots to take advantage of views toward an open space stormwater management corridor.
(left) Houses were designed for economical construction that still conveys a sense of timeless quality.
Residential Architecture
The Ledges
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huntsville · alabama
be au t if ul ly sit uated atop the hills overlooking the Tennessee Valley, The Ledges is a community that encompasses 750 acres of mountaintop property with breathtaking views. As part of the development program, UDA created a Pattern Book and a portfolio of house designs in a diverse range of building types. Drawing on the rich architectural heritage of historic settlements in the Huntsville region, UDA’s house designs provide abundant opportunities for individual expression within the traditional styles chosen for the development – Classical, Colonial Revival, and Romantic (the latter inspired by picturesque Carpenter Gothic and Italianate Revival precedents). UDA also provided master planning services, locating a championship golf course and a preservation area of over 250 acres of undisturbed woodlands and wetlands. The plan includes neighborhood parks, village greens, and tree-lined streets that provide focal points for the neighborhoods and create highly desirable addresses.
Residential Architecture
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The Ledges
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(above) Neighborhood streetscapes such as the one shown here appear as though they were developed over time, conveying the sense of a town fabric.
(left) The design possibilities for the townhouses provided the opportunity to give each unit its own distinctive character and identity as an individual residence.
Residential Architecture
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The Ledges
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(right) The design of the houses is developed directly from sustainable architectural techniques drawn from southern architectural traditions. Broad overhangs and porches for shaded outdoor living spaces are built using sustainable construction techniques that are very applicable today.
(above) The plan for The Ledges calls for a diverse range of housing types, Attached units, mid- and largescale single-family houses are composed together on streets to give the look and feel of a Southern town.
Residential Architecture
Erie Station Village w e s t he nr ie t ta · n e w yor k
er ie stat ion v il l age is a new mixed-use, mixedincome infill neighborhood based on traditional neighborhood design principles. Situated on the rural edge of a New York town, the site features an internal open space network that includes public greens, trails, and a central meadow that are linked to the neighboring town fabric through pedestrian- oriented connections. A key issue for the community was its desire to keep alive the image and memory of rural traditions, even as the project introduced more urban densities and amenities. The new neighborhood includes a range of unit types including lofts, apartment homes and townhouses. UDA drew upon its extensive research into regional, rural vernacular building types and styles – including a stunning Shaker Village near the site – to create the architectural designs for Erie Station Village. To keep the development relatively affordable, construction budgets were based on standard budgets for rental garden apartment and townhouse complexes in the area. In keeping with the rural character, loft and apartment buildings use the massing and detailing of barns. Townhouses and carriage houses use the massing and detailing of farm houses and attached houses often found on both farms and in crossroads towns in the region. This approach enabled UDA to help the client preserve a greater amount of natural and agricultural land, creating a complex that is urban, but which maintains the rural character of the place.
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Residential Architecture
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Erie Station Village
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(above) The master plan incorporates sustainable stormwater management areas designed as an open space amenity for the community. The architecture is designed to take advantage of that exposure. (left) The architecture for Erie Station Village reflects regional rural precedents yet is suitable for conventional building prototypes and tight cost parameters.
Residential Architecture
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Erie Station Village
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(above and left) The simple barnlike structures of the apartment homes reflect the agrarian heritage of this region.
(left) The buildings feature broad overhangs for building shade and outdoor breezeway circulation spaces.
Residential Architecture
Broadway Overlook b a lt imor e · m a ry l a n d
broa dway ov er l o ok is a Hope VI redevelopment of
www.Schamp.com
an obsolete and distressed 429-unit public housing complex adjacent to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in East Baltimore. UDA designed both the master plan (which included a land swap with John Hopkins to allow for hospital expansion while providing more attractive residential views for residents, overlooking downtown Baltimore and the harbor) and the architecture for this new, mixed-income, mixed-tenure, and mixed-financed traditional urban neighborhood. The palette of buildings includes apartments, rowhouses, additions to and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, and a community center. All of the building designs draw on historic Baltimore precedents. This approach honored the requests of residents of the housing project and adjacent communities that the new neighborhood reflect the rich architectural texture and variety of East Baltimore neighborhoods and blend harmoniously into that existing fabric. Design features incorporated from the surrounding neighborhood include: massing; shallow setbacks with planting beds; raised first floors; window, door, and cornice detailing; and a variety of brick and trim colors.
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Residential Architecture
(right) The residential units accommodate a variety of different building types: three-story, central stair apartment buildings; stacked flats within rowhouses; and typical, single-family rowhouses. The mix of building types and units provides residents with a diverse array of choices.
www.Schamp.com
(left) In their architecture design and building placement relative to the street, the rowhouses are based on precedent in treasured urban neighborhoods in Baltimore.
Broadway Overlook
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Residential Architecture
Daybreak Houses
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s ou t h jor da n · u ta h
a n a mbit ious ne w neighborhood developed by Kennecott Land Company, Daybreak, is a master planned community situated on 4,126 acres at the foot of the Oquirrh Mountains, outside of Salt Lake City. When fully developed, this mixed-use, walkable community will include 13,667 residences. UDA created an entire new portfolio of production houses for regional homebuilder Destination Homes. Based on careful analysis, the new prototypes respond to the demands of the current housing market while drawing inspiration from the rich residential architectural fabric of historic Salt Lake City neighborhoods. Four architectural styles were chosen to provide a range of individual homeowner expression along with cohesiveness to the built neighborhood: Arts & Crafts, Colonial Revival, European Romantic, and Victorian. The architectural design effort was run in parallel with a UDA Pattern Book process for Daybreak, commissioned by Kennecott Land Company.
Residential Architecture
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Daybreak Houses
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(above) House designs for Daybreak developed out of the Pattern Book workshops, which established a character and quality for each of the neighborhoods in Daybreak.
(left) The prototype designs enable individual homebuyers to envision how specific variations in massing, accompanied by architectural details, can be applied to a production prototype to create a distinctive residence that satisfies the buyer’s stylistic preferences.
Residential Architecture
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Daybreak Houses
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These photos show two of the houses by Destination Homes. The designs are based on houses of historic neighborhoods of Salt Lake City in their character and their relationship to the street.
Residential Architecture
Easton Houses
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easton · maryland
e a st on v il l age on the Tred Avon is a new traditional neighborhood within the town of Easton, Maryland on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. UDA created a Pattern Book to document the best characteristics of the historic architecture of the Eastern Shore in three distinctive local styles: Eastern Shore Romantic, Arts & Crafts, and Classical. Following the Pattern Book process, two builders – Ilex Construction and K&P Builders – commissioned UDA to create a new portfolio of product types for the development. On the exterior, the houses conform to the principles of the Pattern Book and the three approved architectural styles, offering multiple facade possibilities on simple, marketable floor plans. On the interior, the architecture enables the builders to respond readily to the requirements and prevailing desires of the local housing market.
Residential Architecture
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Easton Houses
The house designs are based on regional types expressed in the UDA Pattern Book process for Easton Village. The designs were developed as simple masses, articulated in the appropriate regional styles and details. Porches and broad overhangs were designed for building shade and sustainable designs.
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(right) Reflecting the architectural character of the region, UDA’s design for this house includes paired front gables, a wraparound front porch, and a side wing added to a simple rectangular massing. The porch wraps the main body on the east, south, and west faces to reduce solar heat gain on the ground floor and to add unconventional outdoor living spaces.
Residential Architecture
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Easton Houses
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Residential Architecture
Jewish Community Organization Building p i t t s b u r g h · p e n n s y l va n i a
this mult i-face ted building provides a unique solution to the multiple goals of the Jewish Community Organization involved in its development. The building sits on a through-block urban site and has two very distinct “front” facades on opposite sides of the building that reflect the duality of its purpose. The south residential facade is the entrance to Weinberg Terrace, a 62-unit assisted living building that faces onto a residential street in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. UDA creatively incorporated the new assisted living facility into the building, ensuring it would be compatible with the adjacent single-family residences by drawing on design details found in many apartment buildings throughout the neighborhood. The opposite side, the north and civic facade of the building, provides much-needed expansion space for the increasingly popular Jewish Community Center (located directly across the street from the new building). The Jewish Community Center Annex houses a multi-purpose theater, gymnasium, Holocaust Museum, and office space for Jewish Family and Children’s Services. The new activity spaces are organized around a skylit galleria which visually extends the galleria of the original community center designed by UDA. The galleria and courtyard unite the numerous activities of the two uses, creating the feel of an urban campus within the heart of this facility.
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Residential Architecture
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Jewish Community Center
21 building key
jewish community center
jewish community organization building
1 – north facade (civic)
uda building
2 – south facade (residential)
post office
1
2
Above
The south facade, assembled on a large building mass, captures the residential character of the surrounding neighborhoods. Left
The north facade has a civic design character that relates to the program within. The character of the corridor lines coordinate with the 1930's-era post
Residential Architecture
Clarksdale
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louisville · kentuck y
in the spr ing of 2000, a group of entities that included the City of Louisville came together in a master planning process that resulted in a ten-year plan for revitalizing the center city of Louisville. The plan includes residential development for all income groups as a key element in the economic revitalization and transformation of the Central Business District into a 24-hour, seven-day living Downtown. Shortly after the Downtown Development Plan was completed, UDA led a HOPE VI process focused on revitalizing the adjacent Clarksdale neighborhood. In conjunction with that work, UDA developed architectural designs for a variety of residential products: single-family detached houses, duplexes, townhouses, stacked townhouses over an accessible flat, apartment buildings, and a carriage apartment over a four-car garage. Four architectural styles based on historic local precedents – Italianate, Classical, Arts & Crafts, and Victorian – extend the rich architectural heritage of the surrounding neighborhoods into the redevelopment area.
Residential Architecture
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Clarksdale
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(above) The site plan for Clarksdale creates a mixedincome residential neighborhood important to the growth and development of the City’s fastest growing area – adjacent to the Louisville Medical Center campus and nearby to downtown. (left) A mix of housing types provide both rental and homeownership opportunities.
Residential Architecture
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Clarksdale
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(above) Blocks intermingle housing types to create a mixed-income environment. (below) Low-rise apartments ensure that the neighborhood retains its human-scale residential character.
m i x e d - u s e a r c h i t e c t u re
Mixed-Use Architecture
mi xed - us e ar c h i tecture Introduction Gilroy Cannery, Gilroy, California
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Seaside Central Square, Seaside, Florida
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Washington Park, Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania
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Baxter Town Center, Fort Mill, South Carolina
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SilverTip, Canmore, Alberta, Canada
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© 2008 urban de sign associate s
East Garrison Town Center,
urban design associates
Monterey County, California
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Reynoldsboro Town Center, Greensboro, Georgia
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UCSB, Santa Barbara, California
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Introduction
Mixed-Use Architecture
Urban Design Associates (UDA) has developed Master Plans and Urban Designs for a wide range of institutions including universities, medical centers, and research and technology complexes. Our efforts consistently focus on finding ways in which these traditionally single-use, isolated complexes can be better integrated into the cities and towns in which they are located. Institutional Expansion and Neighborhoods
For many years, institutional expansion in urban areas has been a source of conflict between the institutions and their neighbors. Yet the economic activity of the institutions is essential for the community, often providing jobs as well as much needed services. In recent years, large-scale institutions have begun to forge working relationships with their neighbors in order to find solutions that best serve the needs of both. Those located in deteriorated and crime-ridden neighborhoods recognize that the problems of the neighborhood have a negative impact on the success of their programs. Furthermore, to attract the best talent in faculty and research staff, they need to be near a vibrant, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week community with housing for staff that is both safe and attractive. UDA assists institutions to address these goals and concerns with solutions that are unexpectedly creative. The UDA Process
At once open and engaging, UDA’s planning process succeeds in achieving consensus among a diverse range of interest groups by engaging a broad cross-section of people in the creative process of design. Our three-step process begins by asking questions about the strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations of each interest group. We combine those results with a careful analysis of the technical aspects of the plan including physical, economic and social data to develop a series of alternative concepts. These are then evaluated by all participants to identify the preferred plan. The use of three-dimensional media enables all participants to grasp the proposed concepts quickly and easily, provides a means
Mixed-Use Architecture
step three
step two
step one
u da a rchite c t ur e pro cess
collaborative work session
for building a shared vision, and ensures that they are practical and easy to implement. Because we develop Master Plans and urban designs based on a detailed understanding of the technical requirements of both individual building programs and the urban infrastructure that serves them, our plans help anchor the new development within the context of the broader campus and community. Form and Responsiveness to Change
urban design vision and analysis of place
sustain-
program analysis
site
ability
and
analysis
and green
testing
client review and testing
design solution
principles
Although our clients’ specific, present-day projections for building programs provide a basis for design, we actively seek to create a form – a configuration of buildings and public open space – that can adapt to a changing array of academic programs and uses over time. For example, the Campus Plan for the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) established a framework of public campus spaces which define the building envelopes of future buildings. The specific functions can change from present projections, but the scale, massing, and character of both building and open space will be consistent. Local Character
In each plan, great care is taken to understand the inherited character of the campus and its local context. For example, the UCSB Plan is based on the natural environment around it. In contrast, the East Baltimore Plan calls for dramatically new structures that create a new focal point for a traditional neighborhood by connecting seamlessly to it. By creating beautiful new places which respect and enhance the inherent traditions of their locale, UDA assists clients to gain broad support for new ways in which institutions can interact with their surrounding communities.
Mixed-Use Architecture
Gilroy Cannery
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gilroy · california
an historic cannery which once stood on this development site provided the design inspiration for the new, mixeduse Gilroy Cannery. UDA produced a master plan for the site and created architectural designs for a series of building types on an interconnected network of parks, streets and open spaces which are linked to the surrounding neighborhoods and downtown Gilroy. Our client, South County Housing (a non-profit housing developer in Gilroy), and the community at large see the cannery project as a way to attract new types of businesses to this largely agricultural town as well as to provide an active mix of market-rate and workforce housing for their growing population. At the same time, they anticipate that the project will make an important contribution to the revitalization of the downtown district. The plan calls for 200 units in a variety of loft buildings, stacked flats, attached live/work units, and small single-family, detached houses on 12 acres. Parking is handled underground, on street and in building courtyards.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Gilroy Cannery
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(above) UDA’s design picks up the industrial heritage of the location and applies that style in a manner that makes Gilroy Cannery’s spaces appealing places to live, work, and shop. (left) Parks, open spaces, and good street connections provide seamless interconnectivity and smooth transitions between Gilroy Cannery and the adjacent residential neighborhoods and downtown district.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Gilroy Cannery
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(above) The buildings' mass is designed so that it reads as a sequence of human-scale components with ground-floor retail and office and residential spaces above.
(below) The parks and open spaces create outdoor gathering spaces (for example, for a farmer’s market) adding liveliness, livability, and the feeling of a “whole” place to the Gilroy Cannery development.
Mixed-Use Architecture
Seaside Central Square seaside · florida
sited as they are on either side of county road 30A, the Gateway Buildings at Seaside’s Central Square take advantage of their high degree of visibility to urbanize the road and create a sense of “place.” Simple, restrained classicism characterizes UDA’s design for these buildings which were inspired by traditional, urban American South precedents as well as Seaside’s existing signature buildings. Together with a tower proposed by Leon Krier, the Gateway Buildings provide powerful visual landmarks for both entrances to the square and also serve as key elements in its composition. In conformance with the Seaside Code, the buildings provide residential townhouse units over ground-floor retail. The buildings feature a high percentage of glass that allows for light and broad views of the town and the beach.
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Mixed-Use Architecture
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Seaside
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(above) An ensemble of twelve buildings, divided between the two entrances to the Central Square, comprise UDA’s design and complete the vision for the square set forth in the master plan. (left) The Northeast Gateway Building faces both Route 30A and the square, providing a visual anchor that defines the corner and marks the entrance to the square.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Seaside
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(above)The assembly of buildings in the southwest parcel creates a unique residential address and public square at the intersection of the town’s pedestrian footpath with its links to both the beach and the community’s circulation system. (below) Linked with the obelisk and inspired by European piazzetas, the assembly of the Southeast Gateway Buildings creates an intimatelyscaled public space.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Seaside
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(above) A restaurant that wraps the corner and spills out onto Route 30A helps create an urban environment at this strategic location.
Mixed-Use Architecture
Washington Park
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m o u n t l e b a n o n · p e n n s y l va n i a
in an invited competition, Zamagias Properties partnered with UDA to create a mixed-use infill project along Washington Road at the symbolic northern gateway to Mt. Lebanon, an historic street-car suburb of Pittsburgh. Based on the principles of Smart Growth, Sustainable Development, and Traditional Neighborhood Design, this compact development consists of 65 residential units over groundfloor retail, implemented in two phases: first an eight-story building followed by a six-story building, both of which sit over two floors of underground parking. Washington Park’s massing is clearly contextual and closely related to the large residential buildings in its immediate surroundings. The architecture reflects the signature architectural precedents of Mt. Lebanon, particularly the Tudor and English Romantic styles so prevalent in the 1920s and 30s. The development is along a major bus line and both equidistant from, and walkable to, two light rail transit stations that connect the suburbs in the South Hills with downtown Pittsburgh. Also within easy walking distance of the central business district of Mt. Lebanon, churches, schools, open spaces, and neighborhood convenience retail, Washington Park will provide new, market-rate condominium units that meet the needs of local buyers.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Washington Park
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Proposed Development
(above) Based on Mt. Lebanon’s signature architectural character, this mixed-use, Tudorstyle building sits atop the Washington Road and Bower Hill Road intersection, creating a landmark entrance to the community. (below) The east elevation of the building is designed to express the residential character within and disguise the building’s large mass.
Mixed-Use Architecture
Baxter Town Center fort mill · south carolina
situated at a key intersection in baxter town center, the Springmaid Building provides 35,000 sq. ft. of prime retail and office space. Although a single structure, the building is designed to appear as individual two- and threestory buildings, each with its own unique exterior treatment. This approach mimics the quaint character of Upcountry South Carolina precedents in historic towns such as Chester and York. Built on spec by the developer, the Springmaid Building was designed to attract, and provide considerable flexibility for, a wide variety of retail and small business tenant types and sizes. Stucco, brick, and painted brick facade treatments provide diversity to the palette and opportunities for individual tenant expression. Cost-effective, standardized construction technologies were employed to contribute to the project’s financial viability. Pedestrian-friendly, the Town Center’s design encourages walking and decreases dependency on the automobile.
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Mixed-Use Architecture
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Baxter Town Center
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Proposed Plan
(above) Master planned by UDA, Baxter Town Center is the focal point of the first of several villages to be built adjacent to a 2,300 acre nature preserve. (left) The Springmaid Building adds to Baxter Town Center’s rich and inviting mix of uses: office and retail spaces, residential spaces, and an elementary school.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Baxter Town Center
(right) The differences in massing across the span of the building give it the appearance of a series of individual buildings.
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(below) The building’s design was inspired by traditional downtown precedents.
(left) Shown here, as built, the Springmaid Building provides a prominent and highly desirable address for retail shops and small businesses within the master plan for the Town Center.
Mixed-Use Architecture
Silvertip
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c a n mor e · a l ber ta · c a na da
silv ert ip, a n a mbit ious initiative of the StoneCreek Development Company, is situated at the gateway to the historic natural preserve of the Banff National Forest in the town of Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Nestled on the side of a remarkable valley amidst natural open space with dramatic Rocky Mountain views, Silvertip represents a new paradigm in resort community development. It is based on traditional European hilltown precedents, but with an urban density that preserves more open space. UDA provided architectural services to develop the Phase One project area, a picturesque plan of buildings arranged around a small internal piazza. The program includes a 160-room hotel and a 24-unit condominium building. Each sits over a retail base. Other participating architects include Studio Bontempi and Leon Krier. UDA partnered with MTA, a local architectural firm that is providing construction document services. All buildings will be designed to LEED standards for sustainable design.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Silvertip
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(above) UDA’s design for these three buildings blends the richness of small-scale vernacular architecture and the elegance of the nearby world-renowned Banff Springs Hotel with the varied, picturesque compositions and characteristics of the European hilltown precedents that inspired the plan. (left) The architecture uses an eclectic mix of languages to create engaging streetscapes.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Silvertip
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(above) The architecture is designed to read as though built over time, by multiple architects. (below) The composition of the architecture is influenced by European hill and local Canadian Alpine town precedents.
Mixed-Use Architecture
East Garrison Town Center monterey count y · california
design of the east garrison town center is the final step in a rigorous process during which UDA developed both a Specific Plan and a Pattern Book for East Garrison, transforming a portion of the Fort Ord site, a former U.S. Army base, into a vibrant new town. The town center, at the heart of the residential neighborhoods, includes a retail plan that will provide for a 24-hour, multi-generational destination. With sustainable principles firmly in mind, this walkable town center was designed as a key component of the East Garrison Master Plan, being reviewed under the LEED-ND pilot program. The architecture uses the East Garrison Pattern Book as its starting point, drawing on the guidelines, design possibilities, and documented town center precedents from many cherished traditional West Coast towns the pattern book presents.
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Mixed-Use Architecture
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East Garrison Town Center
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(above) The plan calls for mixed-use buildings around a Town Square that will provide an attractive gathering space as well as an inviting venue for a variety of community-building activities – a local farmers’ market, for example. (left) The Town Center is at the heart of East Garrison, well connected to the three residential neighborhoods and with particular attention paid to making them easily accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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East Garrison Town Center
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(above) The Town Center is designed to be a lively, mixed-use district, with groundfloor retail, restaurants, entertainment venues, and gathering spaces. Approach streets feature live/work units. (below) The Town Center mixed-use buildings were designed to read as an assemblage of buildings, designed over time based on the architectural patterns and styles detailed in the East Garrison Pattern Book developed by UDA.
Mixed-Use Architecture
Reynoldsboro Town Center r e y nol d s pl a n tat ion · ge orgi a
uda created the master plan for Reynoldsboro, a new community adjacent to Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia. The Town Center includes a town square, a mixeduse center, a school, and neighborhood amenities. UDA, as well as other contributing architects, provided architectural design services for the design of individual buildings. UDA’s program includes 17 townhouses along a mews address and 15 residential units over retail in a coordinated assembly of buildings. The design of the buildings references the architecture found in great Southern resort towns and garden city towns. The architecture exhibits landmark qualities in appropriate locations and fabric architecture in between. All of the buildings are being designed to achieve LEED certified ratings.
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Mixed-Use Architecture
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Reynoldsboro Town Center
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(above) Using several architectural styles, the composition of the north side of Main Street reads like a southern resort town built over time. (left) Seventeen townhouses and 15 residential units over retail (UDA’s program and commission; shown in color on the plan) form a residential mews immediately adjacent to the mixed-use retail heart of the new town along Main Street. The shaded buildings represent commissions of contributing architects.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Reynoldsboro Town Center
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(above and left) Inspired by local Georgian precedents, the Courtyard Building is designed as a landmark on the primary corner of the Town Center.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Reynoldsboro Town Center
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(above and left) The Office Building is designed to have street-level offices and development offices above. The architecture is modeled after the wood construction precedents of coastal resort towns in the South.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Reynoldsboro Town Center
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(both images) The Atrium Building, located at the intersection of the pedestrian pathway and Main Street, shapes the public space in this part of the Town Center. The building design is based on picturesque and expressive Garden City precedents.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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Reynoldsboro Town Center
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(above) Perspective image of Mews (left) Perspective looking into Mews from Atrium Building
Mixed-Use Architecture
UCSB
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s a n ta b a r b a r a · c a l if or n i a
a f ter c ompl e t ing a planning process to create the Campus Master Plan for UCSB, UDA worked closely with the university’s Office of Housing & Residential Services on a Housing Study carefully coordinated with the Campus Master Plan. The Housing Study design efforts focused on transforming under-utilized, university-owned land to create diverse, vibrant new neighborhoods for students, faculty, and staff. Phase 1 of the study calls for new housing with a mixeduse center along Ocean Road, the main campus’ western edge. A comprehensive package of individual unit types were assembled into a variety of compatible building types. The architecture styles used for these buildings are Spanish Revival (for which Santa Barbara is renowned) and UCSB Contextual Modern (which is a broadly interpreted, eclectic style found throughout the campus). Both styles are documented in the UCSB Ocean Road Pattern Book developed by UDA. UCSB intends to develop this new neighborhood to achieve, at a minimum, LEED silver ratings.
Mixed-Use Architecture
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UCSB
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(above) The aerial perspective illustrates how the residential neighborhoods are integrated into the Campus Master Plan.
(left) A variety of compatible building types were created to address the array of housing needs among students, faculty and staff
Mixed-Use Architecture
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UCSB
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(top) The designs create a diverse palette of architecture that supports the goals of the Housing Study to create diverse, vibrant neighborhoods. (above and left) Elevations presented in the Pattern Book demonstrate to developers and architects the broad array of design possibilities that can be achieved when applying the schematic architecture created by UDA to the development of specific sites.
c i v i c a n d i n s t i t u t i on a l a r c h i t e c t u re
Civic and Institutional Architecture
c i v i c a n d i n st i t u t i on a l ar c h i tecture Introduction Howard Miller Student Center, Thiel College, Greenville, Pennsylvania
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Mason Andrews Science Building, Tidewater Community College, Norfolk, Virginia Kittanning Pavilions, Kittanning, Pennsylvania
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Highland Park Water Filtration Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Old Dairy Community Center, Homestead Preserve, Warm Springs, Virginia
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Clarksburg Municipal Building,
© 2008 urban de sign associate s
Clarksburg, Pennsylvania
urban design associates
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Introduction
Civic and Institutional Architecture
u da en v isions civ ic and institutional buildings as more than structures that need to successfully and efficiently accommodate an array of functions. We believe they should also provide attractive landmarks that reflect the values of the institution or community for which they were built. Because UDA-designed civic and institutional buildings are conceived with this dual role firmly in mind, these facilities have consistently been able to play a key role in revitalizing an area or creating a new focus of community activity. An important factor in achieving this level of success is the high degree of design integrity in UDA’s architectural designs. Steeped in the understanding of traditional patterns and their correct application, UDA marries that expertise with forward thinking, and, when appropriate, also invents new forms. The result is that each UDA civic or institutional building design has its own distinct architectural character, employing a style – whether traditional or modern – that is harmonious with the building’s context and local culture. The building form is chosen for its ability to either establish or enhance the type and character of the public spaces it creates. We strive to ensure that these will be enduringly beautiful places for the community. However, the institutional or civic uses within a given building often change over time. Recognizing this, UDA designs buildings which also have the flexibility to respond to changes in use in ways that assure ongoing functionality of the buildings for their owners and occupants. Successful Collaboration
UDA engages in a collaborative process with the leadership of the community, institution or local government. The process can also include other stakeholders – for example, the general public in the case of a civic building or the faculty and students for an academic building. This approach can help the building owner – whether that’s a public or private entity – build a bandwagon of support for the new structure among its relevant constituencies. UDA recognizes that ensuring financial viability and construction feasibility must go hand in hand with designing a special place that has a unique character. We are adept at
Civic and Institutional Architecture
creating building architecture that combines standardized construction methods recognized by the building industry with custom features that give the building a unique look and feel without compromising cost effectiveness. Seamless Integration of Services
step three
step two
step one
u da a rchite c t ur e pro cess
collaborative
UDA’s civic and institutional building projects are often an outgrowth of another project in one of our core areas of expertise: Urban Design (including master plan development); Pattern Books, or Architecture (particularly MixedUse Architecture). The integration of UDA’s Architecture, Urban Design, and Pattern Book services brings considerable expertise and value to our clients. Having all three of these services under one roof provides seamless melding of the architectural and master planning processes throughout design and development. It also streamlines the process for greater efficiency. While this is the most advantageous use of our capabilities as a firm, clients can also avail themselves of our Architecture services on a standalone basis for individual civic or institutional buildings.
work session
The UDA Process
urban design vision and analysis of place
sustain-
program analysis
site
ability
and
analysis
and green
testing
client review and testing
design solution
principles
UDA’s design process begins with a discussion of values and goals for the building, as well as parallel analyses of the building program and architectural precedents for the building type based on research we conduct into regional and local precedents and traditions. Relating the architecture of the new building to these local traditions, regardless of whether the architectural style employed is traditional or modern, ensures that the new building will find its place harmoniously, as either a textural or iconic structure within the community. Preliminary concepts are studied in three dimensions in their contexts to determine the most appropriate form for the space in which the building(s) will be sited. For example, a tower element on a corner can serve as a landmark when seen along a street. A central portal may terminate an existing axis on the site.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
The design is then further refined, analyzed for cost and budget, modified as needed, and always reviewed in terms of the vision established at the beginning of the process. Concurrently, we identify patterns of public circulation and service to create an overall framework for the plan of each building or complex. Based on that analysis, we create a coherent internal plan that accommodates present-day needs, yet still offers the flexibility to respond to changes in use over time. This internal plan is tested for its ability to meet each individual program requirement as well as the relationships among them. UDA Portfolio
On the pages which follow, you’ll find a sampling of Civic and Institutional Buildings designed by UDA. These illustrate the high quality of design and diverse architectural character UDA can create to meet the specific needs and aspirations of its clients. For example: »» Contrast the Classical Revival style Student Center for Thiel College (which restored the grandeur of the central campus) with Tidewater Community College’s modern Mason Andrews Science Center (which served a key role in bringing life back to Downtown Norfolk, VA). »» The pavilions which UDA designed for a waterfront park in Kittaning, PA demonstrate the symbolic role even a small civic building can have in the life of a town. »» The purely functional Highland Park Filtration Building in Pittsburgh, PA continues the architectural traditions of the beautiful park in which it is located. »» In keeping with the values of Homestead Preserve (Warm Springs, VA), UDA transformed an old dairy barn into attractive new public facilities and amenities which respect the historic agrarian origins of the structure. »» Sited to create a focal point in the center of town, the Clarksburg Municipal Building (Clarksburg, WV) draws its inspiration from its context.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
Howard Miller Student Center t h i e l c o l l e g e · g r e e n v i l l e · p e n n s y l va n i a
the f o cus of c ol l e gi ate l ife at Thiel College, the new Howard Miller Student Center provides the college with a fresh image derived from the best local historical architectural traditions. Situated prominently on the campus green, the building creates a dignified main entrance and landmark for the college. Its architecture establishes the character of the gathering spaces both within and without as elegant, congenial, and gracious settings for student life. The key architectural challenge was to create a unified building through a combination of new construction married to extensive transformation of a series of existing, but disorganized buildings constructed over time: a three-story, WWII-era, Georgian-style dormitory and a nondescript 1969 addition that wrapped two sides. UDA’s design creates a picturesque, 90,000 sq.ft. classically proportioned Georgian-style building. The student center is Phase One of the Campus Master Plan which UDA also developed for the college.
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Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Thiel College
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(above) The new Student Center’s massing reflects its historic evolution as a building that has been added to over time, yet it remains harmonious in scale with the rest of the campus. (left) This section drawing shows the connections between floors as well as those to the outdoors which link the building to the campus at large.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Thiel College
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(above) The UDA addition created this prominent new entry, more program space for student-oriented activities, and a terrace for gathering. (left) In keeping with architectural precedents on the campus, this Jeffersonian-inspired portico serves as an entry feature for the outdoor terrace.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
Mason Andrews Science Building t i d e wa t e r c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e norfolk · v irginia
the m a son a ndr e w s Science Building on Tidewater Community College’s new urban campus is a focal point of the revitalization of downtown Norfolk. A key component in the implementation of the master plans which UDA created for Norfolk and the community college, the Science Building is the first new building on Granby Street, a traditional downtown shopping street that had fallen into decline. The Science Building creates a vibrant new campus and public square. The exterior architecture works contextually with Norfolk’s historic architectural patterns and traditions. The design of the new building was done in concert with the redevelopment of nearby historic buildings which have been renovated for the college’s use as a library and theater. Within, the circulation corridors of the Science Building function as large urban porches with attractive views of Norfolk’s downtown streets. The corridors are active places for students, staff and faculty, creating a lively interchange between the interior and the activity on the streets below.
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Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Tidewater Community College
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(above) The new square created by the front of the new Science Building brings renewed vitality to downtown Norfolk. (left) In style and scale, the building is designed as a distinctive new landmark for TCC.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Tidewater Community College
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The view from the library garden demonstrates the use of the tower for orientation toward the new square.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
Kittanning Pavilions k i t t a n n i n g · p e n n s y l va n i a
pic t ur esqu e a nd heavy-timbered, the pavilions in Riverfront Park were designed to create civic gathering spaces of varied scales for everything from informal gatherings and family picnics to festivals and other large-scale civic celebrations. Riverfront Park is Phase I of UDA’s Master Plan for the revitalization of downtown Kittanning. Open air, the pavilions – signature elements of the park – create dramatic “postcard” views of the riverfront both by day and also illuminated at night, making these structures popular venues for all manner of significant events in the lives of community residents, especially weddings. In addition to the pavilions, the park’s amenities include an outdoor amphitheater, launching and docking facilities for pleasure craft, and moorings for large excursion and dinner fleets, all of which are helping to reinvigorate downtown Kittanning.
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Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Kittanning Pavilions
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The pavilions are situated at the terminus of view corridors that are pedestrian extensions of downtown streets to the river.
The pavilions punctuate the continuous landscaped pedestrian pathway along the river’s edge. Their picturesque assembly of roofs reflects the intersection of the street corridors.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
Highland Park Water Filtration Building p i t t s b u r g h · p e n n s y l va n i a
u da l ed a highly ch a l l enging public process to produce fresh, creative design alternatives for this structure which houses a membrane filtration system, chosen because it would meet regulatory requirements for potable water quality without the need for covering the Highland Park reservoirs. Covering the reservoirs was a solution which community residents strongly opposed. Following traditional civic design principles of public infrastructure, the European Romantic architecture of the facility is in character with the architectural traditions of the historic neighborhood adjoining the park. Fitting elegantly in its wooded setting, the building provides the look of an historic landmark as a foil for the complicated mechanical requirements of the technology sheltered within.
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Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Highland Park Water Filtration Building
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In addition to monumentalizing the neighborhood’s prevailing architectural style, the building is in keeping with the European Romantic style of many of Pittsburgh’s treasured public parks.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Highland Park Water Filtration Building
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(above) The “ babbling brook” is designed and constructed to aerate a steady stream of chlorinated overflow water from the treatment process. (below) The exterior is designed to mitigate the large building mass by incorporating elements and details that give it a human scale and public feel.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
Old Dairy Community Center homestead preserv e wa r m s p r i n g s · v i r g i n i a
the ol d da iry Community Center was created by adapting a collection of historic agricultural buildings for a new purpose – that of community center for Homestead Preserve. The vision for the transformation of these buildings entailed restoring key features and enhancing the overall qualities of the buildings so that they would best serve their new usages which include an assembly hall, post office, community offices, children’s recreational facilities, a pool, spa, and health facilities. UDA worked with local historic preservation agencies to develop the design to preservation standards. The Dairy Barn is a fine example of how reuse and reprogramming can transform underutilized structures into important and attractive community assets. UDA also created the Master Plan and Pattern Book for Homestead Preserve, an intensive preservation of 10,000 of an 11,000-acre valley in the Allegheny Highlands of Virginia. The plan includes careful, sensitive residential development in selected areas, including around the historic Homestead Hotel.
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Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Old Dairy Community Center
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(above) The completed restoration retains the character and design of this historic complex in its historic setting. (below) From the outset, the historic dairy barn and barn complex were reenvisioned as a vibrant new community center that celebrates the agrarian roots on which Homestead Preserve is being developed.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Old Dairy Community Center
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(above) The barn and agricultural complex have been a treasured architectural landmark in the valley for decades. (left) Interior details and finishes recall and honor the building’s former use as a dairy barn.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Old Dairy Community Center
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The silos provide a prominent, contextually appropriate landmark.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
Clarksburg Municipal Building cl arksburg · west v irginia
l o c ated in the he a rt of Clarksburg’s designated historic downtown, the Clarksburg Municipal Building is a 22,000 sq. ft. facility that provides offices for the city government and city police department. The new building is a symbol of downtown Clarksburg’s revitalization initiatives as well as a tribute to the rich architectural heritage embodied by the historic Harrison County Courthouse and Classical and Romanesque brick office buildings nearby. In the American tradition of important government buildings, the new municipal building was set back from Main Street to create a front lawn as a new, public gathering space. Together with the plaza in front of the courthouse, this space provides the community with an outdoor venue for festivals and a dignified setting for public monuments.
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Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Clarksburg Municipal Building
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(above) The building’s exterior massing, detailing, articulation, and materials resonate harmoniously with its traditional context, while expressing Clarksburg’s optimism for the future. (left) Large shutters control natural light and add warmth to the council chambers. Oak, a hardwood native to West Virginia, is used for the interior trim and furnishings.
Civic and Institutional Architecture
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Clarksburg Municipal Building
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(above) This photo, looking down Main Street, shows the municipal building in its context in the heart of downtown Clarksburg. (left) Located outside the council chambers, this second floor corridor is designed to resemble a Greek atrium with natural light framed by classical columns.
Published on Nov 8, 2010
Urban Design Associates portfolio of recent projects.
Published on Nov 8, 2010
Urban Design Associates portfolio of recent projects.