The Dudley Guild

design | build | educate | collaborate | grow

MISSION STATEMENT

We believe in the cultivation of both craft and design as conduits for community building and individual growth. Products may take many forms and scales, but the development of crafts, skills and process sustains a lifetime.

We are committed to creating spaces for learning, community engagement and social entrepreneurship. We believe in a holistic approach to the development of our local community, using this future facility as a catalyst for urban change. 

SITE SELECTION

In light of the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan identifying the 424 Dudley St. site for development, the newly formed Dudley Guild shall purchase this site from the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston for construction of new facilities. Existing structures shall be part of the purchase, and may be maintained and renovated, or removed at the discretion of the architect:

Total [re]design Studio.

SITE ASSESSMENT

In it’s planning work for 424 Dudley St., the RSMPOC has arrived at a preference for wealth generating uses that create jobs, equity, and business ownership opportunities for Roxbury residents. The site can be redeveloped to create a mixed use development including education facility(ies) as well as commercial and retail uses that provides quality opportunities to citizens of Roxbury across a variety of income ranges. 

GUIDELINES FOR DESIGN 

The architect shall perform site assessment to determine existing conditions, including (but not limited to): climate, circulation, landscape, infrastructure, formal history, thresholds, and pollutants.

To achieve our mission, the guild requires a new facility that contains different types of spaces for learning and skills building, acknowledging that long-term use of the facility will require flexibility, and the ability for spaces to change over time. With that in mind, current needs include spaces for various digital and mechanical technologies as well as hand-craft and construction processes ranging from small crafts up through building prototype and construction. 

In addition, the guild seeks to foster gathering and community building through spaces designed for informal interaction. This should include provisions for food, public gathering and presentation space, as well as student personal storage space, material storage and administrative facilities. These elements could occur at both the scale of the school or at the scale of the neighborhood. 

To foster social entrepreneurship, the guild would like to engage the street fronts of Dudley and Magazine streets. Other considerations include the need for outdoor prototyping space, productive agriculture space, truck access and parking. Additional program may be suggested by the architect for consideration by the guild.