Adaptive Reuse and Urban Connection
The WCNY public television & radio broadcasting headquarters is one of several anchor tenants located in the adaptive re-use of the Case Supply warehouse, a previous manufacturing facility, which had sat abandoned for more than 20 years.
Located on a prominent urban edge site, the original warehouse visibly and literally separated the immediate and underserved neighborhood of the Near Westside from the primary area of downtown Syracuse due to its dominant scale.
Community-Based Design Process
Originally initiated by a comprehensive community-based master plan, the design process fostered a collaborative approach engaging the sites developer, the future owners and tenants, as well as administrators and faculty from the University and members of the local community.
During these series of work sessions the design team was able to facilitate and identify an approach for urban development that reconnected the neighborhood with the downtown through a series of open and shared public spaces.
These spaces were strategically created by removing areas of the warehouse facility that were either structural compromised or lacked historical value to promote community collaboration and interaction, allow for interior day lighting and porosity throughout the site.
Materiality and color were used to maintain the consistency of the complex. The exterior is finished with a white and neutral color palate allowing for bright color highlights to emphasize key elements for the occupying tenants such as identifying points of entry and signage.
A New Physical Community Presence
As a major contributor to public education and entertainment, WCNY wanted to reinforce their on-air identity with a new physical community presence that was more accessible downtown.
The 55,500 square foot headquarters for WCNY reconfigures the west end of the industrial warehouse incorporating television and radio broadcasting studios, as well as an educational center and a public courtyard.
The design blends renovation and new construction, turning the necessary removal of the small span warehouse space into an opportunity to create open courtyards and improve views across the site.
Glazing and transparency have been strategically introduced in many of the major production spaces including the television and radio studios offering up views from the public spaces.
