Cincinnati Reuse Collective

Cincinnati Reuse Collective falls somewhere between an urban research course, a building survey course, and a making course. The course uncovers the urban scale forces at play in Cincinnati through a survey of buildings under the city’s Historic Structure Stabilization Program. Acting as tourists within the city, students visited diverse neighborhoods learning about buildings in various phases of the program, many of which are under repair through partnerships between the city, individuals, and organizations anticipating new uses. Each student selected a single building to study in more detail and model in two forms: a building model, and a model stand inspired by the building. These models acknowledge the buildings’ past lives while positing a future that is at once imaginative and hopeful.