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URBAN THRESHOLD
The predicate for this project was the the site in the the heart of downtown
Troy New York that had been occupied by the city hall The site is now vacant and stretches along most of of the western edge of of Monument Square On the the east side of this unique site sits the the square along River Street which is lined with with a a a variety of vintage buildings some with with architectural pretensions and others having a a a a a a a a more anonymous character Together they form a a a a a a a virtually impenetrable wall that separates the the the city from the Hudson River The site also features a a a a a 20-foot elevational drop from River Street to to the the continuous plateau adjacent to to the the river Thus the Monument Square site is both a a a a a city center and an an an urban edge Immediately to the the north along the the Hudson River River bank is RiversPark which was the the catalyst for for a a a a a a a a masterplan for for this entire area of the the city The principal focus of the the semester’s work which the the students addressed in two-person teams was the design of a a a a multi-use residential complex on on the Monument Square site Their work proceeded in three phases which involved a a a a a a a case study programming and and site analysis and and the housing design design Crucial to to to the the design design was the the need to to to be sensitive to to to issues related to both urban design design and and landscape design design 255