HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo., Aug. 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arcadis (EURONEXT: ARCAD), the leading global design and consultancy organization for natural and built assets, today announced the launch of two pro bono projects: one in Louisville, Kentucky, and the other in Syracuse, New York. These will be the third and fourth projects in Arcadis’ Pro Bono Program, which provides the expertise of Arcadis employees at no cost to community-led development projects that demonstrate the potential of improving the quality of life for others.
Transforming warehouses into a vibrant community hub in Louisville
Once a thriving community known as “Harlem of the South,” Louisville’s historic Russell neighborhood today has one of the highest poverty rates in the city. Due to its prime location west of downtown, private investment and gentrification has the strong potential to create displacement of existing residents. With seed funding from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust and fiscal sponsorship from the Community Foundation of Louisville, Louisville Metro Government and Cities United launched a new initiative, Russell: A Place of Promise, focused on avoiding displacement of existing residents and leveraging new investments to build community wealth and ownership opportunities for them.
One of the key elements of the initiative is to transform a former cigar manufacturing facility located on an abandoned five-acre property known as the Madison Street Warehouses into a vibrant community hub offering safe housing, business and job opportunities, much-needed banking and food choices, and positive entertainment options for residents and visitors. Arcadis will use laser-scanning to develop a 3D rendering of the warehouses and will provide environmental engineering support to help Russell: A Place of Promise plan and budget for this major undertaking.
“We have worked in Louisville for decades, but with the recent opening of an Arcadis office here, this is a great opportunity to continue building our investment in the area,” said Shawn Cecil, Arcadis project manager. “We are thrilled to contribute to this program that tests community empowerment concepts and will positively impact the Russell neighborhood and hopefully other cities in the future.”
Re-imagining a field house to better serve a community in Syracuse
William A. Barry Park is a 15-acre city park located in an economically disadvantaged part of Syracuse. In the park sits a single-story field house that, while functionally challenged, serves as a gathering place for youth and community programming.
Partnering with the City of Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs, Arcadis will help with design and delivery of field house renovations.
Based on direct input from residents, renovations will include:
- Remodeled exterior-accessible and bathrooms that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and include a baby-changing facility
- A ventilation system that will provide a more comfortable setting for programs during warmer months
- Porous pavement sidewalks leading to the field house and restroom entrances that allow for ease of use of the facility by the elderly and those with disabilities
- An open-air pavilion/portico to provide shade and a rain shelter for increased ADA-compliant programming space
- A rain garden to help mitigate stormwater runoff from the field house and pavilion, while providing a sustainable education opportunity
Using drones and laser scanners, Arcadis will assess the site condition and use current data to create a BIM model of the field house, incorporating the design of the new features.
Arcadis will engage high school students from the Syracuse City School District and engineering students from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Engineering and Syracuse University through job-shadowing and mentoring opportunities.
“Arcadis has strong roots in Syracuse and we’re excited to contribute our expertise to a small but mighty project,” said John Perriello, Arcadis project manager. “What makes this project so much more than a simple building renovation is the impact it will have on our neighbors, including the area high school and college students who will gain firsthand experience in data collection, 3-D sustainable design, and construction management by helping us execute the project.”
About Arcadis’ Pro Bono Program
Arcadis’ pro bono program provides the expertise of the company’s employees at no cost to North American community-led development projects that demonstrate the potential of improving the quality of life for others.
“We see a tremendous level of quality, care and passion for improving quality of life in all of the pro bono program entries from our employees,” said Joachim Ebert, CEO of Arcadis North America. “Our people give their best to our clients, and they are also very eager to take on additional work to give back to the communities where we live and work.”
To be considered, project proposals are submitted by Arcadis staff who want to improve quality of life in their own communities. Winning projects are selected by an Arcadis executive committee.
The 2019 projects come on the heels of a successful inaugural year in 2018, which saw Arcadis lend a hand to organizations in Detroit and Los Angeles.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jimmy Luthye
Mobile: 303-947-5925
Email: james.luthye@arcadis.com
ABOUT ARCADIS
Arcadis is the leading global design and consultancy organization for natural and built assets. Applying our deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services we work in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of their natural and built assets. We are 27,000 people, active in over 70 countries that generate €3.3 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. www.arcadis.com