Theses (Historic Preservation)
Document Type
Thesis or dissertation
Date of this Version
2015
Abstract
History and structure are traditionally seen as barriers: blockades between zones of occupation. But in fact both melt and dissolve even as they are formed. Structure and history are not blockades, rather thresholds-- themselves fully occupiable.
This thesis is the transformation of a Philadelphia district school-- but it is also a subversion of traditional adaptation. Investigating beyond existing means of preservation, the upgrade and recasting of Edward Bok AVTS projects a catalytic process and product: the synthesis of volumetric, organizational, and material recursions toward an architecture that challenges modes of design and community psychology within a historic framework.
Urban schools throughout the United States are experiencing unprecedented fluctuations in district enrollment: therefore this thesis addresses a matter of regional and national urgency. One in every three Philadelphia residents live within half a mile of a closed school: therefore this is a crisis affecting a large proportion of the city.
A vacant building negatively impacts one block, but a vacant school negatively impacts an entire community: therefore the effect of a single large abandoned building on its neighborhood is substantial-- a building’s reuse can have a redeeming impact on local perceptions of wellness and justice. Across the top twelve US cities the most common adaptation for a vacant school is to become a charter school. When this process of adaptive reuse is more closely analyzed new opportunities begin to emerge (other than creating more charter schools) -- this helps us understand and activate civic heritage assets in new transformative ways.
Keywords
transformation, upgrade, schools, adaptive reuse, psychopolitics
Included in
Education Policy Commons, Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons
Date Posted: 15 June 2015
Comments
Suggested Citation:
Hammitt, Nathaniel (2015). Radical Preservation: The Transformation of a Vacant Philadelphia School to Address Contextual Urban Opportunities. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.