WSU Rural Design to present Uniontown ideas today

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Dec 13, 20120

A WSU Rural Design Initiative team will present its Uniontown project today, Thursday, at the city hall in Uniontown beginning at 3:30 p.m.

The effort is a joint project by the WSU landscape architecture program and the Uniontown Community Development Association which received a National Endowment for the Arts grant earlier this year.

Junior-level architecture students were asked to develop a master plan for the Dahmen Barn site.

A total of six students have taken part in the project which began in September. Professor Ole Sleipness and advisor Rob Hutchison of Seattle’s Hutchison-Maul Architects supervised.

Replacing the existing loafing shed, creating an amphitheater and drainage problems in the overflow parking area were studied.

Sleipness said that the studies include physical and cultural factors such as topography, views from the site and views for drivers passing by on Highway 195.

To improve the property without spoiling existing views, the character that makes the barn special, was one of the challenges, Sleipness said.

He said that sketches and other drawings the students present will also delve into pedestrian connections, locations for outdoor artwork and parking matters.

The students are part of WSU’s junior level landscape architecture recreation design studio. Next semester, after reviewing feedback, they will refine some of the options.

Preliminary work has been shown on two occasions, including last week on campus.

“They’ve had some really interesting ideas,” said UCDA President Dale Miller. “We’re looking forward to what they’re proposing.”

The project is funded by part of the $54,000 NEA Our Town Creative Placemaking grant which Uniontown won this spring. Sleipness’ class participated in the grant proposal with the Uniontown group.

When the funding was awarded, Sleipness and UCDA put plans into place for this semester’s Rural Design Initiative project.