Urban Threshold
A mixed-use housing block that negotiates between the scale of a historic industrial district and new residential density.
Year
2023
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Program
Mixed-Use Housing
Area
45,000 sq ft
Status
Studio Project
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Description
Urban Threshold was developed in a fall comprehensive studio at CMU. The project occupies a site at the edge of the Strip District, mediating between two radically different scales: the massive brick warehouses of the old rail yards and the finer grain of new residential streets.
The building’s mass is carved to create a public passage through the block, maintaining sight lines to the Allegheny River. The facade employs board-formed concrete in two textures — coarse at the base, smooth above — creating a visual datum at human height.
The 48 apartments vary from compact studio units to generous four-bedroom family homes, stacked and shifted to produce a varied roofline and maximize daylight access for all units.
Credits
Course
Comprehensive Design Studio
Instructor
CMU School of Architecture
Site
Strip District, Pittsburgh
Semester
Fall 2023
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