CIVIC POWER STUDIO

Architecture, Planning, Community Engagement

CLIENT: Village of Arts and Humanities

LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA

STATUS: Complete

YEAR: 2019-2021

The program for the Civic Power Studio was developed over a series of meetings with the community. They were looking for an inviting and creative space with natural light, greenery, and community space.

The community greatly valued an angel mural created by local artists. The mural has been preserved and continues to grace the path between Germantown Avenue and gardens to the west.

The dilapidated condition of the houses and small budget created steep challenges for the project. The roofs and back walls of the houses were in ruins and the structures were on three separate lots. Together with the Client’s land use attorney, a legal agreement (unity of use) was incorporated into the deeds for the lot. The Architect obtained variances to allow openings across lot lines, and developed a design to reuse as much of the existing structure as possible. The existing interior party walls created a familiar material for a tall central community space, economizing on the amount of new framing required. The outboard houses have become studio and classroom space, with walkways passing over the community space below. The spaces are illuminated with natural light and the circulation path creates views within the structure and to the outside sculpture gardens nearby. The circulation spaces double as places to meet and collaborate.