SYNOPSIS
The Outdoor Classroom was designed, fabricated and installed at the Porch Community Center by my Arch401 Studio in May, 2007. The Classroom is used for community events and childrens’ art education classes, and is made of steel framing with slate chalkboards along one side and benches along both sides.
It is a 10’x20’ space constructed of five steel bents with a polycarbonate roof system over an opaque, CNC-perforated, light-filtering plastic panel system. Large gates open to the east, onto a large yard space that is used for community gatherings. The classroom is both a space in itself, and also a gateway from the community center to its yard.
PROCESS
Like the other projects, we travelled to New Orleans at the beginning of the semester to meet our Porch partners and collaborate with them on the needs for the classroom. Then we returned to Lawrence for design and fabrication, followed by a final trip to NOLA for installation in May.
IMPACT
Each summer, the Porch sponsors Seventh Ward Arts Alive Summer Camp in partnership with KidsmART. Projects have included recording their own raps, taking photographs, and creating a site-specific sculpture now on display in the backyard of the cultural center. The Classroom provides covered, outdoor space adjacent to a large yard, and provides opportunity for a variety of community activities in the yard.
FUNDING
This project was commissioned by The Porch Cultural Heritage Organization. Funding for the project came from a variety of sources: the Kemper Foundation, The Kuhn Foundation, KU-SADP, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, and donations from private individuals. In-kind donations were received from National Equipment Co., the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence, and Yemm and Hart. It was completed in May 2007.
This project was commissioned by The Porch Cultural Heritage Organization. Funding for the project came from a variety of sources: the Kemper Foundation, The Kuhn Foundation, KU-SADP, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, and donations from private individuals. In-kind donations were received from National Equipment Co., the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence, and Yemm and Hart. It was completed in May 2007.
PROFESSOR
Nils Gore
STUDENTS
Austin Berke, Sarah Boedeker, Chris Clark, Carole Cline, Lindsey Evans, David Gibbs, Mike Kelly, Courtney King, Will Lockwood, Emily Moisan, Paul Sanders, Larabeth Thompson, Jessie Violand, Heather Whitten
