In what will be the first of many, students from the University of Pennsylvania's undergraduate architecture program visited the Germantown campus of St. Luke's Episcopal Church to meet with NWCLT board members and survey the grounds.
Led by Professor Rashida Ng, the students and board members participated in several roundtable discussions with a specific focus on the cultural implications of renovating the campus of the 200-year-old church into a hub of modern sustainable housing. The students were asked to consider historic and social implications while helping to develop a plan for building housing units that will one day support low-income Philadelphians.
When she was hired, Professor Ng said her goal was to reinforce in her students"the responsibilities of architects to the environment and then the social conditions of the world." The partnership with St. Luke's provides a perfect opportunity for the students to flex their creative muscles while showing respect for the origins and cultural significance of the Germantown institution.
In August, the Northwest CLT Corporation and the University of Pennsylvania Undergraduate Architecture Program entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to help foster beneficial outcomes for the housing project at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Germantown.
The mission of NWCLT is to provide affordable rental and homeownership opportunities for low-income people while preserving the quality and affordability of these homes for future low-income residents.
Comments