The PPAL Center for Community Excellence: A Vision for The Former East Liberty Mellon Bank Building
Each year for the past 11 years the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Institute of Architects hosts their Young Architect’s Studio Competition. Open to individuals or teams comprising of students and recent graduates of architecture programs that reside within the 11 county area that comprises the Pittsburgh chapter. The design competition usually revolves around a threatened regional icon, global issue we face locally, or the preservation of important buildings or structures within the Pittsburgh region. This year’s design prompt was the preservation and redevelopment of the former Mellon Bank building in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty Neighborhood. Located at 6112 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 this bank building is under threat of redevelopment, and so the design prompt this year was how can we as a architects and members of the community save this icon of modern design?
An arial view of my proposal for the redevelopment of East Liberty's former Mellon Bank (6112 Penn Ave)
Each year for the past 11 years the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Institute of Architects hosts their Young Architect’s Studio Competition. Open to individuals or teams comprising of students and recent graduates of architecture programs that reside within the 11 county area that comprises the Pittsburgh chapter. The design competition usually revolves around a threatened regional icon, global issue we face locally, or the preservation of important buildings or structures within the Pittsburgh region. This year’s design prompt was the preservation and redevelopment of the former Mellon Bank building in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty Neighborhood. Located at 6112 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 this bank building is under threat of redevelopment, and so the design prompt this year was how can we as a architects and members of the community save this icon of modern design?
The winner of this design competition is announced at the annual AIA Pittsburgh Design Awards Gala, September 30th, 2021.
Below is the project brief I submitted explaining my vision for the site, the proposed preservation and redevelopment of this iconic building, and how I believe this building can become a catalyst of community life:
The PPAL Center for Community Excellence
The PPAL Center for Community Excellence The Pittsburgh Police Athletic League Center for Community Excellence, also known as The PPAL Center for Community Excellence, is a proposal for the redevelopment and continued use of the former Mellon Bank Building located at 6112 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood. Designed as a catalyst of community development, empowerment, and inclusion, this redevelopment proposes the creation of an athletic complex, coffee shop incubator space, child care center, and Pittsburgh Police substation with the aim to become a new hub for daily life in East Liberty. While the scope of the project may seem rather large, the amenities created and housed within this space will fulfill the larger and more common goal of meeting basic needs of the East Liberty community through an architectural solution. The families of Pittsburgh neighborhoods need high-quality child care. Parents should not have to be burdened by the high costs of the regional privatised child care centers while working to climb the socioeconomic ladder. Members of the community need a safe place to gather as neighbors and foster the creation of high-quality friendships and connections through multi-sport athletic leagues and fitness classes. Additionally, affordable commercial spaces are needed to foster economic growth and encourage entrepreneurship within the community. Most importantly, the neighborhood needs to be and feel safe. The Pittsburgh Police Department is a vital artery in the lifeblood of the community and their outreach is To help re-invigor this lifeline, an element of social engineering is applied to the architecture of the redeveloped Mellon Bank building, which allows for a transparent police substation to exist in a community gathering place. The goal of this is to create more informal interaction between officers and members of the community. All-comers, police officers and citizens alike, will have access to a multitude of sports leagues, ballet and spin classes, a rooftop skatepark and meditation garden, as well as the child care center. Establishing a true connection between citizens and the men and women of the Pittsburgh Police, such as proposed by the PPAL Center for Community Excellence, helps to foster positive interaction between the public and the police. Ultimately, construction of this building aims to create a central hub of daily life and activity at the physical hub of the intersection of Penn Avenue and Centre Avenue in East Liberty. A physical hub which aims to reinvigorate the neighborhood through the development of friendships and a true sense of community.
