|
|
 |
| |
Building Hope
– AIA Partner with the Boys and Girls Clubs
 Boys
and Girls Clubs help children during a critical part of their
weekday schedule: from the end of the school day until dinner
time. They fill that time with homework help, social
opportunities and recreational activities. Children benefit
by
staying out of trouble and performing better in school. What goes on
inside the clubs is critically important to the communities they serve,
and the physical image of the clubs makes a statement about the
importance of their mission.
The Building Hope initiative of AIA
South Louisiana gathers the
children of the clubs, their parents and teachers, local business
leaders, architects, and architecture students to examine two questions:
- What kind of physical setting can
best facilitate the clubs’ core mission?
- Can improvements to the physical
appearance of the clubs inspire neighborhood revitalization?
Several communities across the Acadiana region have Boys and Girls
Clubs eager to participate in the Building Hope initiative.
The
first club involved was the Lafayette Granberry Club in the fall of
2006. Several installations have already been built there by
local architecture students, beginning the club’s
transformation. Planning and work now continues with the New
Iberia Club, the Lafayette Jackie Club, and the Opelousas and Abbeville
clubs.
 Architects
and architecture students examined existing facilities and
created “as built” drawings to aid in
renovation.
Planning meetings were open to all interested parties, from enrolled
children to neighboring businesses interested in discussing what kind
of places Boys and Girls Clubs should be. They examined
current
needs and imagined the future to create a master plan to develop the
clubs and provide a foundation for fundraising as well as program
development.
Much work is still to be done, including the construction of a new
tensile-canopy-protected basketball court to shade children in the
intense heat of Southern Louisiana. This basketball court is
envisioned as a type of “town square,” functioning
to bring
children together in a common place for social and recreational
activity. Students, community members and contractors will
work
together to build the structure, giving everyone involved a sense of
ownership of this important project.
View
all Blueprint Initiatives |
|
| |
|
| |
|
)
)
