CASE Faculty & RPI Architecture partner in Community-Led Redesign Project
The City of Albany, Van Alen Institute, and Albany community leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 12th, 2024 for Albany Hive, an uplifting new shared space on a city-owned alley at Quail St and 1st St in the city’s West Hill neighborhood. Co-designed with Community organizers, designers, and 400+ residents, Albany Hive (“the Hive”) is a neighborhood hub buzzing with locally- led activities. Vibrant, illuminated honeycomb-like sculptures host community artwork and a newly-renovated path includes improved lighting, landscaping, access, and drainage.
Albany Hive is a collaboration between Albany 518 SNUG, Albany & Troy Lions Club, Albany Victory Gardens, Bridge Tha Gap Community Resource & Outreach, the City of Albany, Grateful Villages, Rensselaer School of Architecture, Stantec, The Urban Conga, and Van Alen Institute.
CASE faculty member, Fleet Hower, contributed to the creation of this public park and worked directly with our partners at the Van Alen Institute (VAI) and other local organizations to transform the derelict alleyway in the West Hill neighborhood of Albany into an active community space.
CASE & RPI Architecture’s contribution to this project included the creation of a stewardship and maintenance report that made recommendations for the ongoing operations at the park upon its opening. This report provided a detailed analysis of similar projects (case studies) as well as draft documents (maintenance schedules, checklists, calendars) and proposed layouts and operational procedures that could be used to facilitate the many events the Hive aspires to host. Along with VAI, Hower and students joined weekly partner meetings and hosted one-on-one meetings with project partners to understand the way in which operational responsibilities could be distributed. The RPI team also acted as an intermediary between project partners and the City of Albany in order to facilitate communication and build trust. As the project progressed, they provided technical assistance in the form of drawings, diagrams, and a website in order to generate public awareness.
Community engagement enables us at CASE to have a direct benefit on projects outside of the typical academic or research setting. We see these projects as a way to provide technical expertise where it can have great impact and inform and sometimes validate research by testing it in a project environment. We look forward to future projects and community initiatives that allow us to maximize to our impact on urban spaces.
Photography
“Before” image of Albany Hive site, November 2021
Photo credit: Christopher Brickman
Albany Hive site photos, 2024
Photo credit: Mars and Moon Films
Photo credit: Albany Planning Department
Albany Hive launch event, October 5, 2024
Photo credit: Courtney Staton
Media Contact:
Kathie Brill, Program Manager
Brillk@rpi.edu