North Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia currently has two abandoned parcels, the 500 and 501 North Union Parcels. 500 Parcel is well under the planning stage to be rede- veloped into a new hotel. This leaves 501 Parcel as a perfect opportunity for a thesis project location. This site is relatively flat. It is located between Oronoco Bay Park and Founders Park with no safe way to walk or bike from one park to the other. The site breaks a contentious walking path along the Potomac River Waterfront. The 1960s the warehouse on the site was demolished last year down to the concrete slab which is currently fenced off from the public. The site also includes a large concrete dock, railroad spur, and three underground storage tanks. The site is screaming for help!

The project's goals are to provide (1) a waterfront connection between the two parks, and (2) an educational experience about the plastic recycling program to local residents and youth groups. The design pushes local recycling solutions with a small production warehouse space. It promotes recycling plastic materials into construction materials like lumber and blocks.

In this design, the building includes two main sections which are the production ware- house space and the civic educational space. The warehouse space receives recycled plastic materials that have been crushed into cubes by the baler at the recycling center. The major issue the US is dealing with is that plastics are sorted and crushed at the recycling centers, where they remain unused. No one is willing to buy crushed plastics to convert them into new products. The plastics are either contaminated from not being properly being cleaned or the cost to melt and mold the plastics is not profitable for resale. The warehouse space will turn the recycled plastics into new construction materials like lumber and blocks. The civic educational space will educate kids and adults about the plastic recycling process through experiences like exhibits tours, artwork, training and being part of the process.