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Architecture Students Present Community Design Project Impact
Fairmont State News

Architecture Students Present Community Design Project

May 29, 2013

The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) at Fairmont State University recently presented the City of Philippi with a design concept for a “Gateway to the Historic City.” The Architecture student presentation was the culmination of work from the spring 2013 semester. 

The CDAC was part of a larger group assembled by the Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center to assist the Philippi with redevelopment efforts. The student design team from FSU – Michelle Brown from Braxton County; Michael Boyce from Grafton; Terri-Lynn Wolfe from Steubenville, Ohio; and John-Edward Porter from Westminster, Md. –  proposed the adaptive reuse of a former service station and a holistic approach to integrating the city’s cultural and historic assets. 

Patrick Kirby, Director of the Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center, referred to the material presented by the FSU students as “a valuable tool for helping the city project its vision for the future.” 

The goal of the Community Design Assistance Center at Fairmont State University is to assist regional communities, neighborhood groups and non-profit organizations with improvements to the built environment through planning and design assistance. The CDAC is an outreach arm of the Architecture program at FSU, integrating the learning and working environments by linking students and faculty members to community projects that are unable to afford the services of professional consultants or are not ready to hire a consultant. In its inaugural semester, the CDAC has collaborated on projects with the communities of Fairmont, Philippi and White Hall.

“The design center provides an opportunity for Architecture student interns to employ their unique skills and knowledge by directly engaging with community leaders to develop design approaches that help address various design problems,” said Philip M. Freeman, Architect, NCARB, Associate Professor of Architecture and Architecture Program Coordinator.

For more information about the Architecture program at FSU, visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu/collegeofscitech/academics/architecture-program. For more information about the Community Design Assistance Center at FSU, contact Philip M. Freeman, Architect, NCARB, at pfreeman@fairmontstate.edu or Kirk Morphew, Architect, NCARB, at kmorphew@fairmontstate.edu.

 

About the photo:

Pictured from left to right are Karen Weaver, Philippi City Manager; FSU students Michelle Brown, John-Edward Porter and Michael Boyce; and Patrick Kirby, Director, Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center.

ArchitecturePhilip FreemanCollege of Science and TechnologyMichelle BrownMichael BoycePatrick KirbyNorthern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance CenterTerri-Lynn WolfeJohn-Edward PorterCommunity Design Assistance Center