Or: (de)FRACTURE, the Newark Half
Introduction
The assignment was to respond to a need or a condition somewhere in the vicinity of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Rutgers Campuses in Newark. We could choose any place. It could be any thing, “even a floor tile.” We chose the alley.
This alley exists between Weston Hall and the Central High School building on the NJIT campus.
Background
Central High School originated as the Central Commercial and Manual Training High School. The building was erected in 1913, alongside the original buildings of NJIT: Weston and Colton Halls.
At some point, the school abandoned its specialization in commercial and manual training and became Central High School. Although they stand in close physical proximity, NJIT and Central High School have actually had very little affiliation until recently, when NJIT purchased the Central High School building.
As a result, there is a perceived boundary between the two institutions, and the condition of the alley between them is evidence of this:
Despite its disrepair, the alley has inherent qualities that hint at possibilities for enjoyable spaces. One of its most noticable attributes is topography: from end to end, the grade of the alley changes by 21 feet.
Section across MLK Blvd., from Rutgers to NJIT:
Plan across MLK Blvd., from Rutgers to NJIT:
An alley directly across the street, nestled between two Rutgers buildings, utilizes a similar grade effectively, and takes full advantage of the opportunity for a street-campus connection:
In the plan below, the close proximity of the above two alleys is shown by the red line connecting them:
Students could travel this route from the heart of the NJIT campus to the heart of the Rutgers campus. Yet they do not. Why not?
We hoped that understanding the answer to this question would help us find a way to make this alley a viable place.
NEXT: The Connection
Studio 