24 ACUMEN • SPRING 2022 A New Face for a Southside Icon WENDY GREENBERG Student team helps Lehigh Pizza create a new look while honoring its history When the owner of an iconic southside Bethlehem pizza shop decided to remodel, he asked his summer cashier, Janelle Laros ’21, a Lehigh architecture major, for help. Two semesters later, an interdisciplinary team of business, architecture and design students have had an invaluable hands-on experience that a traditional classroom could not have provided. And Lehigh Pizza, which has served the community for decades, is on its way to a new look that promises to retain its historic charm. Laros, together with art, architecture and design student Ella Fabozzi ’22 and an “A-team” of students, delved into materials, color palettes, lighting, space configurations, the City of Bethlehem zoning code and more. The project continued through fall 2021. “Over the summer, the project has matured to engage in real-world practice—ordinances, certification, bidding and work with contractors—and so have the students matured,” says Nik Nikolov, associate professor of architecture and a practicing registered architect. “In addition to providing a solid process and Janelle Laros (center), Ella Fabozzi (left) and a collective of Lehigh students consult with Lehigh Pizza owner George Lioudis.
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