Making Connections

Team

Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation
Southwest Community Development Corporation
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Charles Loomis Chariss McAfee Architects

Context

The site is part of an old riverfront industrial district in Southwest Philadelphia, along the banks of the Schuylkill River close to the Woodlawn neighborhood and Bartram's Garden and adjacent to the planned expansion of the Schuylkill River Trail.

Site

This 300,000 square-foot parcel of vacant, industrially-zoned land has 1,500 feet of Schuylkill River shoreline, but is disconnected from other riverfront destinations and nearby residential neighborhoods.

Challenge

How can the site be re-imagined as a campus for manufacturing that also helps to restore the riverfront environment and provides an amenity for the city and nearby neighborhoods?

Design Solution

- Merge industrial use and public space by recognizing, utilizing, remediating and enhancing the environment.
- Maintain and repurpose selected remnants of the industrial past and introduce new sustainable buildings.
- Strategically layer the site to naturally separate and intentionally integrate coexisting functions.