It was great to have Kat Stowell and Liezel Pimentel from Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects with us for a desk review on February 26 for each of the teams individually. The four teams have been working on different ideas, opinions and challenges unique to their study and thought process about the Focal point proposal at 31st and Kedzie.
Xian and I have been working ideas where we can treat the Lawndale community as the campus for the proposed St.Anthony's Hospital. We intend on splitting the components of the proposal so that it increases the development potential of the Lawndale community. In planning terms we are aiming to merge the industrial corridor that has been mostly vacant and undeveloped ever since the 1968 riots and utilize them to design spaces that can be active infrastructures in the community; While connecting these spaces with more bike routes and pedestrian paths.
One of the ways we were approaching this connectivity issues that is caused by the metra railroad barrier splitting North and South Lawndale, is by developing the brownfields around the rail road link that could serve as open landscaped spaces for the community. Both Ms.Stowell and Ms.Pimentel agreed that this idea could be further developed and encouraged us to develop a prototype for the same; about the ways we intend to connect these spaces across with pedestrain and bike routes.
In the building scale we intend to have four destinations almost on all the four corners that comprise the North and South Lawndale community with a loop that runs across the communities connecting these destinations; with smaller elements of the hospital program placed along the loop. Ms. Pimentel made a point that we need to look for future aspects of development while thinking about connectivity. She encouraged us to look at few of the ambitious projects of Chicago proposed to transform the existing transit system.
As the prime and first destination, we have placed the main Hospital with the ED, DNT and other associated spaces on the Northern west end of the industrial corridor of North Lawndale connecting it to the Eisenhower Highway above it. Ms.Stowell advised us on understanding the use of the unused rail road that is running across the site we have chosen for the hospital; so that we could propose a transit line for the Hospital campus directly.
Second,the recreation and wellness is located on the south west end of the corridor. Third,the 31st and Kedzie site is used for a prime location for an Urgent care, a museum and the center for innovation which we believe would reflect the idea of the gateway to the Lawndale community that the Focal Point tries to achieve.
Finally, the fourth major destination connected in this loop will be the existing St. Anthony Hospital that could be reused for Urban Framing that could support the immediate lawndale community that is facing a food desert and the adjacent neighborhood communities as well. Kat Stowell shared us her knowledge about 'The Plant' in Chicago that is located 4 miles south from North Lawndale on West 46th street. She believes 'The Plant' is a trend that has been accepted by the Chicago communities and supports the idea that a part of the current St.Anthony hospital infrastructure could be used for similar intentions.
Overall, it was a wonderful opportunity to interact with these professionals from WJW who were open and encouraging towards all the different ideas we had towards the studio project.
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