The renovation at York Central Market and the design of Harrisburg Area Community College’s Advanced Technology Center & Library/Learning Center are two projects of great pride for Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects.
Two Murphy & Dittenhafer Architect projects were recently named recipients of three AIA Central Pennsylvania awards for the projects’ contributions to design and community engagement.
The projects include:
- York Central Market, which received the 2016 Good Design = Good Business Award and the 2016 Merit Award for Design Excellence
- Harrisburg Area Community College’s Advanced Technology Center & Library/Learning Center
“When we contribute to these projects, we’re improving our own communities — and what’s happening in this area is inspiring,” said Frank Dittenhafer, owner and co-founder of Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects. “Awards are just one measure of success. I believe the real success is when people want to spend time in what you’ve designed.”
Learn more about the two projects below.
2016 Good Design = Good Business Award and 2016 Merit Design Award
The Central Market York Historic Renovation
York, Pa.
About the project: The renovation included new lighting for customer shopping, as well as accent lighting that added an element of elegance to the historic facility built by Baltimore shipbuilders in 1888.
New doors eliminated the one-inch gaps at the entrances and matched the original J.A. Dempwolf panel and glass lite door designs. A new seating area was added along the market’s Beaver Street side, and the underutilized mezzanine got a warm makeover with new stairs, rails, and lighting.
Additionally, all heating, plumbing, and electrical systems within Central Market were replaced with more energy efficient installations, including a new fire protection system throughout.
The reverent consideration that went into the Central Market renovation project has been recognized with several other awards, including one of Historic York’s annual Preservation Awards in 2014 and 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania’s 2015 “Commonwealth Award”. Those awards celebrated Murphy & Dittenhafer’s stewardship and careful decision-making and acknowledged the reality that the market had to change in order to remain relevant and useful to the community.
2016 Citation Design Award – Unbuilt Project
Harrisburg Area Community College’s Advanced Technology Center & Library/Learning Center
York, Pa.
About the project: Murphy & Dittenhfafer Architects assisted the Harrisburg Area Community College York Campus with developing a physical vision involving two future buildings to become a high-tech learning center at the forefront of technology and business innovation.
The first building – the Advanced Technology Center – involves the design of a high-tech 42,000-square-foot addition, which wraps three sides of an existing campus (former warehouse) structure. The second building designed involved the a new Library/Learning Center – which would be first entirely new building constructed at the York campus.
The design proposed for the new Advanced Technology Center is intended to serve as an inspiring, innovative place for bringing together private sector local businesses and regional industries. The existing building on the location chosen for the new ATC was an uninspiring 1970s/1980s era warehouse type structure.
This design called for a new curvilinear addition, which wrapped the existing building on three sides: a physical metaphor for how advancements in technology can transform existing conditions. The new dynamic forms of the addition are intended as a visible expression of the collaboration and innovation occurring within.
The internal collaboration is fostered throughout the renovated/expanded building design via a variety of new informal gathering spaces ranging from overlooks to large spacious lounges/ landing areas. This anticipated LEED Platinum certified project includes a wide array of sustainable technologies, which are both integrated and externally visible including a high performance thermally efficient building envelope, photovoltaic panels, green roofs, natural day-lighting – and several wind turbines which would provide significant supplemental electrical power to the ATC.
The proposed Library/Learning Center design is the antithesis of the existing rather ordinary/dull 1970's/1980's brown brick one story building campus aesthetic.
The proposed 39,000-square-foot straightforward steel-framed structural approach translates into a very open flexible floor plate which accommodates the initial programmatic needs of HACC York and can easily adapt as those needs change over time.
The open plan design provides ample opportunities for small informal gathering ranging from the first-floor cafe to the accessible roof-top garden.
It is HACC York's belief that from these small informal gatherings of students taking a few minutes to talk, that the next new advancements in technology, business, or industry will be discovered. A sense of environmental responsibility is manifested in the LLC design in many ways ranging from the green roof garden - to integrating considerable natural day lighting and ventilation throughout.
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects took on the Architecture, Interior Design, & Overall Project Management for the new Bedford Elementary School, and the outcome is impactful.