KieranTimberlake was selected as one of two successful firms among an initial five in this international design competition. The University sought to restructure four square blocks of West Philadelphia through the insertion of more than 1,000 units of new undergraduate housing as well as the renovation and alteration of 2,700 units of existing housing. The analogy we drew upon for direction and comprehension is that of a tapestry. Three urban acts form this tapestry: Retention, Reassertion and Insertion.
KieranTimberlake was selected as one of two successful firms among an initial five in this international design competition. The University sought to restructure four square blocks of West Philadelphia through the insertion of more than 1,000 units of new undergraduate housing as well as the renovation and alteration of 2,700 units of existing housing. The analogy we drew upon for direction and comprehension is that of a tapestry. Three urban acts form this tapestry: Retention, Reassertion and Insertion.
It is a tapestry that looks simultaneously back to urban history and forward to the new city in the college house. It is a tapestry that both extends the campus ideal yet infuses it with the ideal city.
The new infrastructure woven through these found and remembered structures introduces new patterns: one large, central and public green at the scale of the campus and city; eight small courtyards, outdoor rooms belonging to each of the eight houses; sidewalks supplementing the wider pedestrian paths and alleys used for moving days and service entrances that finger into the site from the perimeter and back out, with minimal pedestrian interference.
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