Building Hope: Architects Help Support Mission of Boys and Girls Clubs
Louisiana,
United States of America
Members of AIA South Louisiana collaborated with children in five local Boys and Girls Clubs, neighbors, architecture students, and business leaders to design a master plan for the clubs’ facilities, increasing the capacity of each to serve the community’s children. By the end of the process, students, stakeholders, and local contractors had worked together to develop:
- A sustainable master plan to guide the Boys and Girls Clubs into the future;
- An enriched, diverse, and accessible environment to enhance the welfare of the children as well as the community;
- The design and construction of a covered outdoor space that benefits the clubs’ children and serves as a remembrance of the AIA’s engagement in the community; and
- A platform for mentorship of interns and students by AIA members.
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Project Overview
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. The children, in turn, 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 gathered the children of the clubs, their parents and teachers, local business leaders, architects, and architecture students to examine two questions. First, they asked: What kind of physical setting can best facilitate the clubs’ core mission? And second: Can improvements to the physical appearance of the clubs inspire neighborhood revitalization?
Several communities across the Acadiana region had Boys and Girls Clubs eager to participate in the Building Hope program. The first club to get 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 inform the renovation process. 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. The team examined current needs and imagined the future to create a master plan to develop the clubs and provide a foundation for fundraising and program development.
In the summer of 2007, volunteers at the Granberry Boys and Girls Club in Lafayette completed construction of a new tensile canopy-protected basketball court designed to shade children from the intense heat of Southern Louisiana. The basketball court was envisioned as a sort of “town square,” functioning to bring children together in a common place for social and recreational activity. Students, community members, and contractors worked together to build the structure, giving everyone involved a sense of ownership of this important project.
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