by Amanda Cedrone, News Staff

Students at the Wentworth Institute of Technology presented 3-D models representing their visions for the redesign for areas of the West Fenway, specifically Peterborough and Queensberry streets, last week as a requirement for a class.
In Jan. 2009, a strip of restaurants on Peterborough Street burned down, including Sorentos, Umi Fenway, Rod Dee, Greek Isle, El Pelon Taqueria and Thornton’s Fenway Grille, creating a blank canvas for students to put their creativity to use.
After presenting their designs, students listened to ideas and suggestions from residents of the community who were present and will be required to work these suggestions into their final designs, which they will present on Friday, April 30 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Wentworth Institute of Technology architecture studios. Sixty Wentworth students in their fourth year, as part of a housing and community design studio class, individually presented their ideas to the Boston community. The meeting took place at the Wentworth Institute of Technology Architecture studios.
Lara De Laubadere, an undeclared freshman at Northeastern, said she thinks it’s a good idea for students to present their ideas because of their varied backgrounds.
“A lot of students come from a lot of different places,” said De Laubadere. “So they’ll all have different perspectives.”
The designs were presented for a two-fold purpose, said Sean Barber, director of community and learning partnerships at Wentworth. The designs are meant to give the public different ideas on what could be built in the area and what it could become, while giving architecture students the opportunity to gain experience in presenting their ideas.
While Wentworth has no say in what actually happens to the area, Barber said he hopes to inform the residents of what could happen and get them thinking about the possibilities.
“None of the specific proposals are expected to be implemented of their own right,” Barber said. “What we really hope happens is that we can inform residents what can happen with the property.”
“This gives [the community] opportunities to look at the parcels in a different way, to discuss debate, and help form their opinions based on what they want to see and what they don’t want to see,” said Barber. “Part of the beauty of the process is that [each student] has their own ideas.”
Eliza Benedict, a sophomore accounting major, said it’s nice that the students are giving back to the community.
“They’re not helping just their school, but the community as a whole,” said Benedict.
Scott Shackleton, a junior mechanical engineering major, said he is familiar with the area the students are proposing design ideas for.
“It can’t hurt getting the input of other age groups, and if they can make a difference more power to them,” Shackelton said.