From Sketch to Splash: NJIT and Newark Collaborate on Student-Built Pool Cabanas
The Hillier College of Architecture and Design, through a public-private partnership formed between NJIT, the city of Newark and the logistics real estate company Prologis, gave second-year architecture students the opportunity to complete a studio design-build of custom cabanas for Newark’s public pools.
“Looking back on it, it was one of the best experiences ever,” said architecture student Gracie Bush. “Nothing beats hands-on experience in any field, and this was just like a crash course, and how you take an idea from nothing to something and how people interact with it.”
Close to 170 students participated in this studio, working on five pool cabana designs, named “Marisol,” “Cascade,” “Interwave,” “Oculi” and “The Reef.”
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Bush, the incoming vice president of NJIT’s chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students, worked with other students in her section on “Cascade.” Although late nights were involved, Bush appreciated every second of it as she saw their creation move through the design phase to the build phase. .
“I was in studio till 9 or 10 at night, but I wanted to be there to build,” she said. “You’re seeing something that you made come to life.”
For second-year architecture students, their big theme was group work, collaboration and physical work. “We’ve never done group work in architecture before, so it was a new experience to collaborate and come up with ideas together and have a compromise too.”
The participating students began by generating dozens of concepts, which were narrowed down to 10 finalists. Using 3D design and scale models, they ultimately selected five final designs.
Bush’s team design was named “Cascade” because it refers to a “paradigm shift” that encourages the user to change the way they approach comfort.
“There's a moment we treasure as design/build instructors — when a student finally sees their design come alive through someone else's experience. After all the late nights, the endless revisions, the physical labor of bringing an idea into being, something magical happens,” said professor of practice Erin Pellegrino. “A person sits in their chair, moves through their space, inhabits what was once just a sketch.
“I watch the student's face as it clicks — that sudden recognition that all those hours of struggle had purpose. The abstract becomes real, the vision becomes a place where life happens. Their creation isn't just an object anymore; it's part of someone's story.”
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During the process of presenting the design, one of Bush’s main jobs was to act as a project manager. One of the aspects that she appreciated from this experience was the opportunity to figure out ways to explain her team’s project to people who might not fully understand architecture.
This partnership deepens the collaborative foundation of our studio courses.
Mark Bess, coordinator of NJIT’s undergraduate architecture studios and director of the Newark Design Collaborative said in the city’s press release, “Combining the expertise of our faculty and the innovation of our dynamic students with the dedication of our partners and city officials, the goal of this project is to realize a future where collective efforts result in shared experiences that benefit everyone.”
Pellegrino also noted the collaborative efforts between NJIT and the city of Newark are crucial in the professional development of the students. “Working with the city of Newark transforms our typical theoretical studio curriculum into one of community impact. Students see their designs actually implemented and witness how their work addresses real needs and improves lives.
“This partnership deepens the collaborative foundation of our studio courses,” she added. “Beyond working with each other and materials, students now engage with residents, city officials, and community stakeholders. They navigate real constraints: budgets, public input, municipal processes. This ‘learning by making’ extends into the messier realities of public projects, where good design means listening and adapting to serve something larger than themselves.”
Bush looks forward to visiting Hayes Park West Recreation Center this summer and the next to see her design receive appreciation and use from the community.
“When I got the photos of it actually being at the pool, I was like, it's actually there. It's actually going to be something that people are going to use,” she said. “And I'm just excited because I feel we made a strong project that I feel multiple people can use throughout the summer, and it's built to last, which is always key. I want to be able to go to the Hayes pool next summer and still see it sitting out there and people still enjoying it. ”
Pellegrino sees the studios as key components to HCAD’s curriculum because they challenge students to develop solutions for real-world needs. “The result strengthens both their professional development and community awareness. Students graduate having already managed diverse stakeholders and competing interests—skills they'll need throughout their careers,” she concluded. “More importantly, they understand how design decisions ripple through communities, giving them confidence and civic purpose as they advance to upper-level studies and beyond.”
