Spring Garden, Pittsburgh
* Spring Valley Youth Hostel
Spring 2019
Located in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Pittsburgh’s Northside, the youth hostel is an adaptive reuse project meant to provide a new public meeting place for the existing community as well as a sanctuary for travelers. The design of the hostel is directly informed by its context, integrating into the existing brick enclosure of a vacant industrial building while also drawing inspiration from the valley it is situated in. The sweeping roof form that channels collected rainwater to the central courtyard is also inspired by the natural drainage of a valley. This parabolic curve channels water down to planters in the central courtyard through vertical chains transforming the experience of the hostel during rainy weather. The final design for the hostel brings together both the industrial roots and unique topography of Spring Garden to create a gathering place for all ages in one of Pittsburgh’s oldest neighborhoods.
