Claw, WV
Develop a trail-wide kiosk & signage system for the Elk River Rail Trail and Buffalo Creek Rail Trail that includes way-finding and historical and health messaging. The sites under redesign are post-industrial. Peter Butler and Graduate Students worked with Sam Zizzi (CPASS) to develop interpretive site designs, river access, historic preservation of coal community homes, and a child’s play area with community space on an underutilized gravel lot.
Jane Lew, WV
Restoration of the Lightburn Building. The Jane Lew Town Council envisions the Lightburn Building as a multi-purpose facility to serve community needs in areas of the arts, tourism, connectivity, and historical exhibitions. The building would address these needs by providing for the following: a location for art displays, a collaborative workspace with reliable internet connection, local tourism assistance, and the exhibition of a collection of memorabilia from Jane Lew High School (closed in 1966). Looking to the future, the Lightburn Building will also serve as a station for the Lewis County trail (the trail is a separate Lewis County Blueprint) and provide restrooms and snacks. Interior Architecture faculty member Stacey Bowers worked with her students on designs for renovating the building as a visitor’s center on the newly proposed rail trail. Stacey worked with the Mayor of Jane Lew and other community members.
Clarksburg, WV
Designing a commercial kitchen and food pantry within the Kelly Community Center. This kitchen will support the community’s goal of feeding no/low income families in the area. In addition to the kitchen, the project will include designing the interior of the attached gymnasium for community use. Professor Nicole Kreidler worked with her students to develop the kitchen and workforce development spaces for local residents. The plan for the building includes entrepreneurship and addresses food justice issues locally.
Final Project
Kingwood, WV
Assess the connectivity of the various communities and amenities within Kingwood. Identifying the need for crosswalks, bike only lanes, sidewalks, additional trails, lighting, wayfinding, or any other identified need that help connect the new recreational trails being brought to the Kingwood area to new and existing parks and neighborhoods. Trail designs and traffic calming pedestrian-friendly strategies were developed for the community by Vaike Haas and her students. The project included brownfield sites and corridors.
LARC 334/534 Student Work Refined into Single Design
Montgomery, WV
Planning and landscape design of a public space including architectural renderings of a pavilion and stage, layout of the public space and prominent features, location of public facilities and parking, and a design of the space in relation to surrounding community assets and traffic patterns on a site of a dilapidated building removal. Peter Butler and his students met with community members virtually and in person in developing conceptual designs for the redevelopment of derelict downtown properties to suit community needs.
New Martinsville, WV
Further design of the town’s community gathering space. This would include designing a stage and event signage and making the space ADA accessible. The project will provide the town with a space to hold events and an overall outdoor gathering space for the community. Peter Butler and his students traveled to the community to visit with stakeholders and created designs for the reuse of an empty lot downtown and an underutilized floodplain park.
Grafton, WV
This project involves the transformation of a blighted property along the Tygart Valley River in Grafton, WV from a Brownfields site to a center for watershed protection, education and community access. The goal of redevelopment is to provide a space for the Association to operate a watershed-wide testing and remediation program and a STEM-based education program as well as provide in both indoor and outdoor space for community activities focused on public river access and enjoyment. Peter Butler and students met with community members and developed plans to address the identified contamination issues and to create a public amenity with the watershed center.