2010 - Intern architect Karena Thurston is something of a jack of all trades for the Collaborative. She’s volunteered on design projects, written policy papers, and created installations. The common thread in all her roles has been her passion and wide-ranging expertise , which have helped the Collaborative incorporate green design into its work and explore the relationship between design, community-building and sustainability.
Currently, Karena is working with the Frankford CDC through the Collaborative, developing conceptual designs for storefront façade improvements along Frankford Avenue. Last fall, Karena helped design and set up the Collaborative’s PARK(ing) Day installation—a sustainable backyard created from repurposed materials, including 25 plants from her own sustainable backyard. She also helped draft a sustainability white paper that analyzed past Collaborative projects and made recommendations for sustainable design strategies. “The project touched on all of the design values and strategies that are important to me,” says Karena.
But the Collaborative is just one of the many ways Karena is engaged in promoting a more sustainable city that provides residents with access to local food. She also volunteers with Philadelphia Rooftop Farm (PROOF), Studio 34 Yoga and Mariposa Co-op. She also finds time between all her volunteer efforts to work at Zimmerman Studios LLC, where she has been focusing on university architecture projects.
As a member of PROOF, where a Collaborative project to develop conceptual designs for rooftop farming is in progress, she notes that, “With PROOF it was a huge relief to have the Collaborative involved. The Collaborative helped us get organized and allowed us to focus on other aspects besides the design. It was comforting to know we were in good hands.”
Karena’s curiosity in design was first sparked as a child reading books by David Macaulay, like Castles and City, which have illustrations of the inside and inner workings of buildings. Karena recalls, “I read the books in 4th grade and I was completely fascinated. You saw the whole community come together to build architecture from start to finish. I began to look at buildings and wonder how and who made them.”
The opportunity to engage in interesting and meaningful work that utilizes her design skills has compelled Karena to continue volunteering with the Collaborative. “Pro bono work makes you feel good about what you do and allows you to connect with people interested in similar things,” says Karena.
