After creating the new logo for Fell’s Point Main Street we did up a 10′ x 3.5′ banner for the organization’s booth at the 2009 Fell’s Point Fun Festival. Using various elements of their existing brand and and their new identity, the banner served as a backdrop to promote their many events and services for Fell’s Point shops, restaurants and its visitors.

LEARN A TRADE.
START A CAREER.
BUILD THE COMMUNITY.

1. A low cost structure built to contain workshops for local youth to learn various trades.

2. Volunteer tradesmen teach local youth skilled trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical, masonry, etc. with a focus on sustainable practices.

3. Once trained at the Trade Up! facility, their new skills are put to use fixing up rundown houses in the immediate neighborhood and sold at affordable prices. The sales could fund the project.

4. The temporary structure is made of shipping containers or other prefab systems with ample windows for natural light. A portion of the lot contains a green space courtyard. Ideally, the lot would be drilled for geothermal heating and cooling to supply the new structure or even the entire block.

5. The remaining vacant lots in the block have full size, hand drawn facades depicting new homes. Made of plywood, these facades serve as an advertisement for the program, to inspire others and to enliven the blocks.

With so many vacant and abandoned homes in the city in need of fixing up, the vacant lots seem to be a secondary issue. Once the existing structures are fixed up, such as the ones in this photo, the vacant lots can then be used to build new homes as well as community green spaces and bring the blocks back to their original density. Baltimore blocks are best used for homes, businesses and as neighborhoods.

Alexa, a mixed-use retail and entertainment center in East Berlin is located in the historic central plaza know as Alexanderplatz. This was an area at the heart of Berlin cultural life in the pre-WW2 era which has now been redeveloped.

With an elaborate, high end entertainment center above, the sub-level garage was pale in comparison. Bold type and bright colors were used to complement the contemporary art deco interpretation above. The bold German and English words act as a secondary means of wayfinding by highlighting the core entries and explaining what is behind or next to the walls, e.g. elevator, escalator, entry to shops, more parking, etc.

Agency RTKL

The East Bank of the Flats in Cleveland, Ohio is an entirely new $522 million entertainment district situated at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. The 24-7 mixed-use community includes vibrant weekly outdoor markets, performances, and festivals along a waterfront plaza and boardwalk that will attract Clevelanders to the city’s new gathering place.

The design team was charged with creating a new urban district on a previously active site and instilling a feeling of authenticity that had been wiped away. The site’s rich industrial heritage was a perfect starting point for that narrative and when overlaid with a contemporary architectural vernacular it creates a truly unique urban experience.

Agency RTKL