The Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA) has been sitting empty for almost fifty years since the old buildings were demolished. The latest scheme is the kind of large-scale development that we’ve seen a lot of in the city in recent years.
The Timber in the City Competition had students competing to do something more interesting with the site, using wood for the construction. The winning entries are here, proving housing in the place of almost-fifty-year-old vacant lots, and using wood specifically because it’s a renewable resource.
This kind of student competition rarely leads to a built result. With SPURA, for example, there is a plan in place and there’s no reason to believe that the students’ ideas will influence the developers. But it’s good practice for students and, of course, the lessons they learn in designing their competition entries will stay with them.
