Lawrenceville Housing

The land between 43rd and 47th Street in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville Neighborhood, currently home to a concrete plant and industrial warehouse, was studied by our studio as an opportunity to help connect the neighborhood with one of its greatest natural assets, the Allegheny River. Along the Northern border of the site, a 100 yard wide right of way adjacent to the river has been designated for use as a recreational trail that will eventually be connected to a network of trails that leads to downtown Pittsburgh. The goal of the project was to develop a 3-phase housing development project as a means of building on the strengths of the neighborhood. New housing will allow the residential neighborhood to extend from where it currently ends down to the river. The goal of this design was to maintain a sense of the local typology of rowhousing, front porches close to the streetfront, and walkable sidewalks, minimizing interuptions such as driveways.

Lawrenceville Housing Site Plan

In planning the site, one of the main goals was to maintain a connection to the fabric of the existing neighborhood, keeping streets and sidewalks in line with those that existed. While much of Lawrenceville does not have off-street parking, zoning requirements for new construction indicated that one space per living unit should be provided. As a means of maintaining the street character without interruptions for driveways, parking has been grouped at the end of the blocks, accessible through the rear yard of the houses. Adapting the current neighborhood structure of the rear alley, pedestrian walkways, as well as private outdoors space and shared outdoor space allows for different degrees of privacy and neighbor interaction, as well as a safe environment for children and pets, as opposed to the sometimes dangerous alley conditions that occur in other parts of the neighborhood.

Clemente Unit: 3 floors, 1800 SF

Amenities of these 3 bedroom units include a large front porch, a clerestory dining room, an office space open to the floor below with ample daylight, and a third story balcony that faces the backyard, offering more privacy than the front porch. This unit could appeal to families who might need three bedrooms and would enjoy being proximate to the riverfront as well as downtown, or to people who are attracted by the large office space that allows them to work from home. One of the bedrooms could easily be converted to additional office space.

Carson Unit: 2 floors, 1200 SF

These units, 1200 square feet and 2 bedrooms, are perfect for young professionals or first-time home buyers as well as "empty-nesters" looking to downsize. The first floor has an open floor plan, with a kitchen that is open to the backyard and a living/dining area that looks out on the street. A backyard space could be developed into an outdoor patio, kept as a yard for children, or used as a garden for flowers or vegetables.

Warhol Unit: 3 floors, 1800 SF

These units are built above structured parking and are adjacent to the Riverfront Trail and Park. As a result, they have two "fronts," opening to the street as well as to the river. On the street side, the living room with large windows is lifted half a story from street level for privacy while still maintaining views to the outside as well as Southern exposure for daylighting. The riverside has a large back patio, also raised above ground level to seperate it slightly from the Park. The views from the outdoor patio/dining area on the first floor as well as from the third floor balcony are directed towards the river and park, an amenity surprisingly rare in Pittsburgh housing as a result of the riverfront having been dominated by industry for many years. With the extension of the riverfront trail to downtown Pittsburgh, residents who work there could walk or bike to work along the river.

Site Planning Diagrams

The project is designed to be constructed in three phases. The first phase will be 74 units and will also include the extension of the existing riverfront trail and park in front of the site. The second phase will include 60 Units, while the third phase will have 54. Each phase is designed to be "complete" on its own, in the event that the future phases do not get built. With the exception of the riverfront units, structured parking is not included, which provides more open space for recreation.

Typical Block Site Plan

The block sizes are nearly identical to the neighborhood fabric on the other side of the railroad tracks, as many of the streets align with existing ones. Similar to most of the neighborhood, the houses are built close to the street; however, rather than garages with access from an alley, clustered off-street surface parking at the ends of the block allow for backyards and communal greenspace behind the homes.