Many cities have vacant or partially vacant commercial buildings as well as
some municipal or education facilities.
One the leaders in tactics for smart cities, understands that adaptive reuse is key to economic and cultural sustainability. Since the mid 1990s, we have explored the most relevant and cost-effective means to adapt and reuse buildings. These examples below include working with the Edward Rendell administration to re-zone and develop properties for mixed use occupancy in what is now the thriving Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia.
Charlie Szoradi ran point with the Mayor for Northern Liberties, and Charlie
also invested time and resources into the Wolfe Building, a major 180,000 sq ft
property at 12th and Callowhill, that included re-zoning. The Wolfe Building
was a former vacated squirt gun factory, and it is now a mixed use commercial
and residential property that has become the heart of Philadelphia’s loft
district.
Art Plus Digital Media Equals Urban Renewal
Urban Renewal dating back to the mid 1990s
This documentary profiles three urban pioneers – Charlie Szoradi, Kate Bartoldus, and Steve Stormer. Collectively, they undertake the inspiring transformation of an old run-down Philadelphia church and the adjacent buildings into an arts collaborative. The Hut Documentary is 23 minutes long and won the Black Maria Film Festival Directors Choice Award in 1996. As a young architect, Charlie speaks about his vision to transform the remnants of a disposable society into a meaningful way to improve the lives of his partners, the other artists in the film, and also the extended community.