USGBC Natural Talent Design Competition 2009 - Cincinnati Regional Chapter

Provide a detailed design for the redevelopment of the Drop Inn Center, a non-profit homeless shelter in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The Drop Inn Center is a grassroots community of residents, staff, and volunteers, organized to end homelessness by promoting human dignity and supporting positive social change by offering a wide variety of services.

The Drop Inn Center’s neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine, is a historic, urban neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is located north of the YMCA, south of Memorial Hall and Music Hall (home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Opera), west of the new building for the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (currently under construction) and caddy corner to Washington Park, a nearly six-acre park that is the largest green space in the urban core of Cincinnati (OTR and downtown.)

The current facility is located in several properties at the corner of 12th and Elm St. One of the properties, the former Teamsters Hall, is historically significant. The other properties are not considered historically significant. Teams are presented with the challenge of determining which properties will be renovated or demolished in keeping with the spirit of historic preservation and sustainability. Teams also have the option of expanding the facility south to the parking lot located at 1119 Elm St. If this option is chosen, parking must be accommodated in the new facility.

The existing facility is not large enough for the center’s needs. Capacity for men’s and women’s dorm space must be expanded. An exterior courtyard is urgently needed. Refer to the program requirements for more information.

The project will utilize LEED for New Construction strategies to create a unique and integrated urban design aesthetic and strive for a LEED Platinum rating.

Site: 217 W 12TH ST., OVER THE RHINE, CINCINNATI, OHIO

Brief (PDF)