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Competitions
Since 2007, Wendel has been participating in annual competitions to both foster enthusiasm and collaboration in the workplace. Also, it is a means to learn and explore new project types.
2011 Cleveland Design Competition: A New School Vision
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the City of Cleveland are at a crossroads. The School District, with low graduation rates and declining enrollment, needs a change to revitalize the reality and perception of the system. The unique partnership with Cleveland State University and the Campus International School, one of CMSD’s innovation schools, affords an opportunity to re-envision the District’s pedagogy and provide a facility that fosters a new educational model. The selected project site is in close proximity to several major cultural and educational institutions in downtown Cleveland. These diagrammatic site connections form the main organizing walls of the facility and define the educational “wings”, separated into the primary years, middle years, and diploma years. Agile, flexible plans define a collaborative task-based teaching environment rather than the traditional subject-based classrooms. This arrangement of spaces encourages a cross discipline learning environment by providing an inclusive learning environment.
Wendel has been selected for one of five Honorable Mentions by the jury for the 2011 Cleveland Design Competition. Just under 100 submissions were received from 20 different countries world-wide. The team of Michael J. Conroe, Leanne Stepien, Giona Paolercio and Stephanie Vito, collaborated on the design submission. During the design process the team reached out to local educational institutions such as Tapestry Charter School and Nardin’s Montessori program.
The winning submissions will be posted on the competition’s website (http://www.clevelandcompetition.com) and will be part of multiple public exhibitions touring downtown Cleveland over the next few months. The first is from September 16-18 as a part of Cleveland's Ingenuity Festival and then from September 26-October 29 in the Colonial Marketplace Arcade in downtown Cleveland.
Line of Site
The District of Columbia is in need of an organized method for alternate modes of transportation to encourage more commuters to eliminate the use of their car and reduce the pollution within the city and surrounding areas. By placing a facility at a major access point to the city the proposed Bike Interchange can entice commuters to transfer to alternate transportation methods without disrupting their daily routine or deviating from their commute. The design is organized into tower modules for both bicycles and vehicles. A central pedestrian spine connects all the modes, allowing for safe passage for pedestrians.
Pamphlet Architecture
Cities have historically played a critical part in the development of ideas, culture and art. Present day cities are struggling with providing essential services such as water, energy, communications and mass transportation while attempting to manage automobile congestion with outdated ideas and technologies. Sprawl has consumed prime agricultural land, moving food sources further from urban cores. This submission considered a solution to these problems focusing on revamping our interstate corridor system.
Walla Walla Market Station
The Walla Walla Market Station Project provided a unique opportunity in an urban environment for creating a balance between the programmatic needs of a transit facility with a public park and neighborhood farmer’s market. The design solution, derived from the Golden Section, featured spiraling, terraced steps descending to a below-grade transit center. The Market Station was transformed into a timeless, integrated and vibrant urban destination grounded in safe and efficient access to public transportation.
