Student teams design green spaces
Chris Sannino
Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Team Seven, responsible for adjusting an area of Point Breeze Avenue in South Philadelphia, pitched its vision to install a contemporary-style pavilion made out of environmentally friendly weatherproof canvas in what is currently an empty lot within the residential area. Also included were seating and billboards, which could be utilized by the community for advertisement revenue.
Similar to this was Team Nine's decision to plant a garden in East Queen Village accompanied by a shady canopy. This could also function as an irrigation system, directing water into the garden by engineering it so that rain would fall off a particular side.
Other ideas included placing signs harkening to sites such as local amusement and community bridges. One team was developing an idea for setting up colorful lights along a pedestrian walkway near Sixth and Washington and wiring them to motion sensors. Another team had designed a child-friendly landscaping project ideal for games like manhunt and capture the flag, while others had sketched eye-catching murals that would compensate for windowless sides of row homes.
As for volunteering for future Design Charrettes, the opportunity is open to all Drexel students and faculty regardless of major or concentration.
"We welcome you and we intend to continue this every year," Allen Sabinson, the dean of the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, said. "Next year, [we're] coming up with a new challenge that draws across all of Drexel."
In total, the turnout for such a humble undertaking was nothing short of impressive and everyone had something interesting to bestow on their community. Meanwhile, the work is far from over as students enter the execution stages of their projects and continue to show their sketches and diagrams at design functions within the city.
Similar to this was Team Nine's decision to plant a garden in East Queen Village accompanied by a shady canopy. This could also function as an irrigation system, directing water into the garden by engineering it so that rain would fall off a particular side.
Other ideas included placing signs harkening to sites such as local amusement and community bridges. One team was developing an idea for setting up colorful lights along a pedestrian walkway near Sixth and Washington and wiring them to motion sensors. Another team had designed a child-friendly landscaping project ideal for games like manhunt and capture the flag, while others had sketched eye-catching murals that would compensate for windowless sides of row homes.
As for volunteering for future Design Charrettes, the opportunity is open to all Drexel students and faculty regardless of major or concentration.
"We welcome you and we intend to continue this every year," Allen Sabinson, the dean of the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, said. "Next year, [we're] coming up with a new challenge that draws across all of Drexel."
In total, the turnout for such a humble undertaking was nothing short of impressive and everyone had something interesting to bestow on their community. Meanwhile, the work is far from over as students enter the execution stages of their projects and continue to show their sketches and diagrams at design functions within the city.
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