Spring 2020 CityStudioSTL Student Awards

Two CityStudioSTL Student Awards have been granted for spring 2020. Kay Ingulli (BFA22) and Carmen Mariá von Unrug (BFA20) received an award to continue their work with the Crown Center for Senior Living, and Lu Yu (MArch20) will create a visual essay that documents the work of Mark Pappas and his rehabilitation of the former Carnegie Library in St. Louis’ Hyde Park neighborhood.

Ingulli and von Unrug were both enrolled in Interaction Design: Understanding Health and Well-Being, led by senior lecturer Enrique Von Rohr and lecturer Christine Stavridis. In this course, the student team connected with the Crown Center staff and residents to design digital products that are meant to improve access to nutrition and community for older adults. Taking a user-centered approach, the team sought to make sure the needs of the residents drove their design.

Their concept is based on the popular Home Plate program, which matches WashU students with families in the St. Louis area for a home-cooked meal. In the Crown Center version, WashU students will be matched with an older adult; the students will cook and then spend time with the residents. Given the current public health situation, the students are evaluating ways to start the program while keeping all participants safe.

Yu was a student in Vacant/Ruined/Wild: Feral Urbanism, led by senior lecturer Michael Allen. In this studio, students explored the neighborhood of Old North St. Louis and developed projects that responded to the needs around vacant properties. Through the course, Yu met Mark Pappas, a local artist and rehabber who is working on renovating the former Carnegie Library in Hyde Park, just north of Old North St. Louis. Pappas is looking to turn the building into a museum for children. Yu will document Pappas’work on the building through architectural survey drawings, photos, and illustrations. This work will be used to continue to draw attention to the project.

CityStudioSTL supports a series of community engagement and outreach projects that bring together students in architecture, art, and design with partners in the city of St. Louis. It is generously supported by Gina and Bill Wischmeyer, BA69/MArch71.