Student project offers a model for hub’s future outdoor space

JMU Architectural Design students recently unveiled a temporary gathering space outside the new Harrisonburg Innovation Hub that aligns with the city's downtown revitalization efforts.

The structure, near the entrance of the HIH, includes seating, desks, whiteboards, and a makeshift bike rack and tool station. It’s intended as a place for the hub’s corporate tenants, as well as city residents and visitors, to work, collaborate, create, or just sit and relax.

The HIH is a coworking facility that opened in December in the former Wetsel Seed building at the corner of West Market Street and North Liberty Street. It features more than 50 private offices, meeting rooms and event spaces, as well as programming for local entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders.

Andrea Dono, executive director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, said planning for an outdoor green space to beautify the exterior of the building began last year after the organization received a $75,000 Virginia Main Street Program grant.

“We’re so pleased to be able to do this here, because we have this stunning building in our historic district that right now is surrounded by asphalt and a big fence,” which isn’t very welcoming, Dono said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 2.

Harrisonburg Innovation Hub founder and CEO Peter Denbeigh (’02, ’11M) in the parking lot of the historic building, where green space is planned

For help, Dono and HIH founder and CEO Peter Denbeigh (’02, ’11M) turned to JMU professor Nick Brinen’s Design-Build Studio, in which third-year Architectural Design majors tackle real-world projects.

“Andrea approached some of the faculty, and we talked about the potential of the project and what could be done,” Brinen said. “There was a lot of freedom in what could be built.”

Junior Chloe Coshland, one of two client liaisons on the project, said the 19-member student team — dubbed Studio Nexus — initially met with HIH officials to develop and refine their ideas for transforming the parking lot, integrating elements of the natural environment and extending workspace opportunities outdoors.

Studio Nexus explored conventional and unconventional designs for the space, according to the master plan. One team proposed using large mechanical structures to define different zones. Another focused on angled layouts to drive visitors to the site. Others envisioned a single path leading people directly to the hub’s main entrance.

During the second half of the spring semester, the team shifted to designing and building a outdoor structure to test some of their ideas for the space.

Harrisonburg Public Works supplied wood for the project. The design also incorporates polycarbonate panels that soften the interior lighting and double as dry-erase boards. The scent of locally sourced lavender permeates the structure. The team converted an old Coca-Cola stand they found in a nearby dumpster into a bike rack and mini-repair station.

“It’s our own little nod to innovation and making the most of what’s around you,” said junior Hannah Pingle, co-client liaison. “The goal was to design something both useful and inviting.”

The project was not without its share of challenges. Coshland said the team ran out of supplies several times. There were disagreements over design. The day before the unveiling, the students discovered two misspelled words that had been laser cut into one of the wood pieces. “We had to redo it this morning,” she said.

“About a month ago, we didn’t think we were actually going to be able to build this,” Coshland admitted. “But I’m so happy that we did. This class has put so much work into it, and it’s a wonderful example of a partnership with the city, one that will help beautify downtown and give people a place to come and relax. That’s what it’s all about.”

Although the structure will likely be removed in the fall, Dono said she and Denbeigh hope to build on the students’ vision for the HIH outdoor gathering space over the next year.