Bethany Campus by jiayu ma

BETHANY CAMPUS Jiayu Ma Mission Statement: The project proposes to create a healthy environment for the elementary school children living in the Riverview Neighborhood Area providing access to nutritious food and promoting healthy living skills and habits. This will be achieved by developing a “campus” within the Bethany Park area. This “campus” will include a community-supported garden system that enhances the current Free Lunch Program, and educational activities that expand the present After School Program. Small Bets: School Garden; Art Work; Bike Trail Big Bet: Bethany Park Area will host programs including: urban agriculture, nutrition, active living and a family clinic—classrooms, community kitchen; gardens.

Bethany Campus, located on Central Avenue in the Riverview Neighborhood Area, consists of the Bethany Community Center, Bethany Medical Building and an area of land to the north. The campus provides a constructive environment where elementary school children can spend afterschool hours preparing and eating nutritional foods and developing healthy food habits. Converting the Bethany Community Center into a children’s after-school center involves the development of some new structures while still utilizing the existing ones. There are three floors, each with its own subject area: learning, playing, and eating. Bethany Park and the Bethany Community Center are also designed in a sustainable way, which employs a series of interlinked sustainable systems, introduces sustainable methods into children’s lives at an early age.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ethical standard for public design is to let every person be able to live in a socially, economically and environmentally healthy community.â&#x20AC;? 1

One afternoon, I parked my car at the Bethany Community Center in the Riverview Neighborhood Area. I saw a group of elementary children who were coming towards the Bethany Community Center. They were excited and told me they were going to have a movie night here. I followed them into the building. The scene I saw shocked me: in a low-ceilinged and simple room, three rows of folding chairs were arranged towards a small TV (Figure 1). This was all they had for the movie night, which was a simple and crude environment, just rigged up for the children. This scene motivated me to come up with some better public space for these children. I propose to create a constructive and healthy environment to give these children a strong sense of belonging to their own community. Later on, this impact can rejuvenate the whole Riverview Neighborhood Area.

Figure 1: The view of movie night in the Bethany Community Center. 3

First Impressions The first step I took to begin this Public Interest Design was to be a good listener and recorder to understand the background and culture of the Riverview Neighborhood Area, to discover what they need and lack.

El Centro2 Meeting On August 28th, our ARCH 608 studio had a meeting with community members in El Centro. In this meeting, I learned that the Riverview Neighborhood Area has a large proportion of Latinos3 and almost a third of the population is living in poverty.4

During the meeting, Steve Curtis5 (Figure 2) encouraged us that the Riverview Neighborhood Area was in the “old” right now. It was time for reuse, revision and repurposing. There were three main areas that community members have focused on: healthy eating, health screening and physical activity. I feel that I have a lot freedom to rebuild a “new” living environment using those goals.

Interview

Over a period of a month, I interviewed people from various places in the Riverview Neighborhood Area to get a better understanding of their concerns and hopes for the future of the neighborhood. Many had concerns about access to healthy food, public transportation, underutilized parks and often unsafe environment (Figure 3). Kathlyn6 (Figure 4), who was tired of the poor transportation, told me, “I missed the bus connection this morning and had to walk from 10th street to 14th street. Even though there are many bus stops, the bus only comes every hour or two. If something can be changed, I hope that the public transit system would be improved.” Tracy7 (Figure 5) told me that her children always come to the Waterway Park (Figure 6) when the weather is not too hot. However, there is nothing for her children to do except for swing and slide

Figure 2: Portrait sketch of Steve Curtis Figure 3: This map includes the high frequency words and phrase that residents mentioned during the interviews. Figure 4: Portrait skech of Kathlyn Figure 5: Portrait sketch of Tracy Figure 6: The view of Waterway Park. Figure 7: Portrait sketch of Jamie Thiessen. 4

at Waterway Park. She wishes the park would be improved by adding more things for her children to enjoy. She also wants to have more interesting public space in this neighborhood for her children to go to after school and during the weekend. During the interview with Jamie Thiessen8(Figure 7), she shared that a lot of families are very poor in this area. Some of the fathers in these families require two jobs in order to make ends meet while some mothers stay at home to take care of the family. Many of them also work at night. Since the majority of the parents didn’t get a chance to go to college it is difficult to find a good-paying job and if they can’t speak English it’s even harder. Jamie was moved by those parents because they worked so hard to provide for their kids. Jamie’s position at M.E. Pearson Elementary School encourages the kids to think about college; she helps them realize how important education and college is.

Seeking Public Interests

Figure 8: The view of a survey our studio is doing in the parade. Figure 9: Children are drawing on the blackboard. Figure 10: Children are creating balloon paintings. Figure 11: The view of murals on the wall in the Riverview Neighborhood Area. 5

On September 14th, there was a local parade on Central Avenue, which is organized by the Central Avenue Betterment Association.9 During the parade, our studio did a survey to research what are the residents’ favorite and least favorite places in the Riverview Neighborhood Area (Figure 8). We built a blackboard column and left chalk for children to draw (Figure 9). We made hundreds of balloons for children to throw toward the board and finally created a balloon painting board (Figure 10). I was so surprised by these children’s creative abilities when I saw children using chalk to draw on our blackboards and even on the road. I also recalled the beautiful murals made by them that were almost everywhere in this community (Figure 11). Our studio made a successful event because we highly engaged the children in our small public interests. It also reminds me to design a space that encourages their enthusiasm for creativity.

Bicycle riding is a very popular activity in this community for the young and old alike. After the parade, Free Wheels for Kids10 set up a temporary training bike track on Central Avenue to teach safe riding skills for kids (Figure 12). Adding a permanent bike track in the public, for children to practice riding bicycles could support the biking enthusiastic community and also spread healthy living habits to the residents who live in this county.

During the parade, children expressed their pride for the community and their optimistic views of its future. Those conversations, gave me enthusiasm towards developing a proposal that incorporates children activities into this neighborhood to help them to create a healthy environment, which can be achieved by health eating and educational activities.

Figure 12: The view of a child is practicing riding after the parade. 6

Healthy Eating The Riverview Neighborhood Area ranks near the bottom of Kansas health rankings.11 I did some research to try to figure out why this is. Also, I found new assets which help this area to develop healthy eating.

Food Problems

Figure 14: The view of the Sun Fresh Market. Figure 15: The view of the KC Rancho Market.

By the standards of USDA,12 the Riverview Neighborhood Area has been labeled “food desert”, which means, an “area in the United States with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly such as area composed of predominantly lower income neighborhoods and communities.” People in this area have mostly convenience stores, which provide low-quality food at low prices. Even though there is some nutritious food available in the grocery store, it is still difficult for residents to secure nutritious food on a daily basis space(Figure 13). According to my research, the Sun Fresh Market (Figure 14) is the largest grocery store in this area and has plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. However, it is on the southwest corner and it’s not easy for people to access it there. On Central Avenue, there are three smaller markets that sell fruits and vegetables: KC Rancho Market, El Torito II and Frontera Super Market. The KC Rancho market is the best place in Central Avenue for people to get fruits and vegetables(Figure 15). The El Torito II (Figure 16) primarily supports the Mexican food marketplace instead of fruit and vegetables. The Frontera Super Market (Figure 17) is a very small grocery store with a limited variety of fruits and vegetables. There is also the Bonito Michoacan, since it is on the north edge of this area, it makes inconvenient to access it (Figure 18).

Figure 16: The virew of the EL Torito II Figure 17: The view of the the Frontera Super Market. Figure 18: The view of the Bonito Michoacan. 7

Figure 13: The locations of the grocery stores in the Rivervew Neighborhood Area. The central area of the map has no access to the nutritious food. 8

The second problem is that many have bad eating habits. Even though there is a Green Market (Figure 19) located on 6th and Ann Street that is operated by Beans & Greens.13 This Green Market brings local organic food to underserved communities and encourages residents with low income to buy healthy produce. I had a conversation with Kareline (Figure 20),14 in which she explained the difference between the food in the local market and the grocery store: the food she was selling was picked yesterday and traveled 12 miles to the market(Figure 21). At the grocery store the food could have been picked 10 days ago and will travel 1,500 miles to get to a grocery store. The obvious result is that locally grown is much fresher. However, the hours of operation for the green market are limited. It’s only open on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. If people are unavailable on those days, then they don’t get a chance to buy the local food. Another big reason that prevents people to buy nutritious food in the Green Market is because its prices are higher than others.

Figure 19: The mobile market which belongs to the Beans & Greens. Figure 20: Portrait sketch of Kareline. Figure 21: Portrait sketch of Dennis Edwards.

Many of the residents in the Riverview Neighborhood Area are living in poverty. Sometimes have no choice but to make economical choices over nutritional choices. The interview with Dennis Edwards15 (Figure 21) affirmed my discovery. The largest population in this community is the Hispanic population. They have a different eating culture, for example, marinated foods, fried foods and so on. At the same time, most of them are very poor. When they buy food, generally, they follow two rules. First, 95% of them buy what they see or what is immediately available to meet their hunger needs. Second, many of them buy cheap, affordable food. They tend to look for the best deal, always trying to save money. As a result, their poor food choices can lead to ‘diabetes, obesity and other diseases’.16

Figure 22: The view of the Strawberry Hill Community Garden . Figure 23: The view of the Strawberry Hill Community Garden. Figure 24: The view of the community garden at 1608 Grandview Blvd. 9

Assets

Potential Issues

Fortunately, the community has already realized the serious situation of health eating risk. So there are some new assets which advocate healthy eating:

Since the Free Lunch Program is a federal program, there are a couple of problems: first, according to the guidelines made by the federal government, children can’t take the food out of the lunch room. Therefore, if there is any food left over, it has to be thrown away. The government doesn’t want children to use the food to feed their family because it is hard to control how much food will be leftover every day, so a serious food waste problem happens.

The existing community garden and school gardens are good assets to teach local people how to grow healthy food. At the Strawberry Hill Community Garden, for example, they grow food, and also grow flowers (Figure 22). There are murals on a long wall, a bench for resting and toys for kids to play with(Figure 23). This community garden is a good place for kids as well as their parents to meet and socialize with other people in the community. Another smaller community garden that grows seasonal food is at 1608 Grandview Blvd (Figure 24). A school garden (Figure 25) run by the M.E. Pearson Elementary School is very well organized and contains numerous plots. Another asset is the Free Lunch Program,17 which advocates healthy eating through providing free meals. Their mission is inspiring excellence through quality healthy meals: every product, every meal, and every day. It offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and on Friday, students can get a backpack of snacks to feed them over the weekend. As its slogan, “school meals=power your brain=bridges to wellness,” suggests, the menu for each meal is tailor-made for students to guarantee their nutritional requirement every day. For example, the lunch menu includes fruits, grains, vegetables and protein (Figure 26). Students must choose at least 3 different food groups and take ½ cup of fruit and vegetables.

Second, if the government shuts down (what happened on October, 2013), the program can’t continue. In the conversation with Jamie Thiessen, “It [the shutdown] is a crisis period, because of the overdependence of government and large food demand each day, the future of this program is in an alarming situation. Kids maybe have no food to eat after one or twice per week.” I told her my idea about a self-sufficient garden system, and she said it’s a good idea but hard to achieve because it’s a poor community and has 97% students who qualify for the Free Lunch Program.18 The daily demand for the food is huge. Maybe the self-sufficient garden can work in conjunction with the Free Lunch Program and support a part of the meal.

Figure 25: Left, the view of the school garden in the M.E.Pearson Elementary School. Figure 26: Right, a poster of the lunch menu in the Free Lunch Program. 10

Educational Activities There are a lot of educational physical activities are organized by the After School Program.19 As Jamie said, “the After School Program connects students and their families to community resources tailored to local needs. After School Program keeps students safe, improves academic performance, promotes students’ well- being, and helps communities. It offers a range of benefits to students and their families and supports student success.” 27

There are a lot of activities under the After School Program in each school right now, for example, science club, girl scouts, basketball team and so on. Jamie is a teacher who is teaching the science club, she said in the beginning of the science club, kids vote and mark on what they want to grow (Figure 27). According to their wish list, Jamie will teach them how to grow these products in the school garden. In harvest season, they send the food home. Jamie gives them recipes showing how to cook the food in both English and Spanish. I got a chance to have a science club class with them on October 2nd (Figure 28). During that class, students were learning knowledge for gardening, math to calculate the area of the garden, and also to be responsible to the team in the science club. This program also works for parent education and family strengthening. The school has a family game night for families come together for positive bonding times. One weekend a month, the M.E.Pearson Elementary School will have an open library day when kids and parents come to the library to play video games, check out books and use the computer (Figure 29). Figure 27: A vote sheet that children in the science club can mark on what knid of plant they would lile to grow. Figure 28: The view of the science club. Figure 29: The view of the school library in the M.E.Pearson Elementary School. Figure 30: The report of the survey that I did for the 5th grade students in the M.E.Pearson Elementary School. 11

Potential Issues I surveyed a group of M.E.Pearson Elementary school 5thgrade students (Figure 30). 90% of them are satisfied with this After School Program. However, they also wanted other things, for example, dance club, movie club and so on. Given the limited space at the school, they need these programs elsewhere. 30

Locating the Project Advantage The Bethany Park area is located at the heart of the Riverview Neighborhood Area, adjoining the vital commercial area. Other vital streets in this area are 7th, 10th, 11th and 18th Streets, connecting significant business districts, institutions, civic and schools. The graphic analysis (Figure 31) illustrates how Bethany Park is central of the three elementary schools and justifies the location of this project intended to serve children and families.

Figure 31: Bottom, the Riverview Neighborhood Area- Town Square Map. From the map, the Bethany Park Area is the central to the three elementary schools in this area. Figure 32: Top, the view of Bethany Park which has a strong feeling of isolation. 12

Issues The Bethany Park area is utilized and has couple issues. Bethany Park is almost an empty place with only a few trees and a simple playground, which gives people a strong feeling of isolation (Figure 32). The Bethany Community Center is also has issues. It has hidden entrances and confusing pathways that seem to lead to nowhere (Figure 33). It almost has no windows, and appears as a big, solid cold box from any angle.

Figure 33: The analysis diagram of Bethany Park Area which shows the confusing paths. Figure 34 : The analysis diagram of Bethany Park Area which shows the barries and disconnection. 13

Separated by the parking, walls, and fences, the Bethany Park area is divided into three areas: north empty lots, Medical Office Building, and Bethany Commercial Center. They are barriers that keep interesting connections and views between parts from being visible (Figure 34). I see many potential spots in these fracture pieces that could be developed into great connections that can bring these parts together.

History

In researching the history of this area, I found that the Bethany Hospital, north of Bethany Park, had once been the main hospital in the area. Originating in 1911, after a long history, the medical facility became used less and less and fell into disrepair. In 2005, the Bethany Hospital was demolished (Figure 35). In the conversation with Dennis Edwards, who was born in the Bethany hospital 60 years ago, “they tore the Bethany facility down because it was very old. When they tore it down, they were going to put a retirement community in there. But it cost them so much money to tear that hospital down because it was so well reinforced that it took an extra million dollars to take it down which they didn’t realize at the time. That is why they didn’t have the money to reinvest and it is a big dry spot over there.” Today, there is no hospital within the Riverview Neighborhood Area and what was once a proud hospital facility is now an overgrown, empty lot. Margaret Crawford says in The Everyday Urbanism21 that “Everyday space is a diffuse landscape. It is banal, it’s repetitive, it’s everywhere and nowhere it’s a place that has few characteristics that people pay attention to. We don’t regard everyday space as a major aesthetic problem like the New Urbanists or call it Junkspace like Rem Koolhaas, but see it as a zone of possibility and potential transformation”(2008, P2) .

Bethany Park area is one of these “zone of possibility”. Perhaps this site offers a new opportunity. Instead of going to the hospital to be cured of an illness, it can rather develop into a resource that prevents health problems and provides a place for healthy eating and fitness.

Figure 35: Series of photos record the changes in the Bethany Park Area from 1911 to 2012. Originating in 1911, it has gone through various additions and renovations: in 1922, a nursing school was added to the hospital; in 1957, a patient “west wing” was added; in 1976, a patient “south wing” was added; in 1986, medical offices and underground parking were added; in 1991, a medical office building was added. After this long history, the medical facility became used less and less and fell into disrepair. In 2005, the Bethany Hospital was demolished. 14

Proposal Project

“Louis Kahn said that the city is the place where a child can learn what he or she wants to be”(Madga, 2010, P50)22

Mission Statement

Big Bets

The project proposes to create a healthy environment for the elementary school children living in the Riverview Neighborhood Area providing access to nutritious food and promoting healthy living skills and habits. This will be achieved by developing a “campus” within the Bethany Park area. This “campus” will include a community-supported garden system that enhances the current Free Lunch Program,17 and educational activities that expand the present After School Program.19

Proposal 1 My first proposal is to add after-school educational activities in this “campus” as an extended After School Program(Figure 36).19 The Center would be reprogramed, and utilized to support indoor programs. The basketball court on the second floor can be developed as an adaptable gymnasium. The big room on the first floor can be separated as arts and crafts rooms, computer labs, and so on. The landscape can be redesigned to support a variety of outdoor activities, for example, school garden, soccer court, landscape park and so on. Proposal 2 My second proposal is to create a community-supported garden that will work in conjunction with the current Free Lunch Program (Figure 37).17 It’s a sustainable development model to help students and their families who are in poverty in this area, follow the old saying, “ give a man fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” It is a system that can help families get out the old model of overdependence on government’s assistance and utilize the potential recourse to begin to help feed themselves. It can be achieved by reprogramming the Bethany park area as a complete “campus”. Local residents will grow fruits and vegetables in the north empty lot of the “campus”. It is a productive farm zone. The food will be processed, stored and cooked in the commercial kitchen and finally delivered to each school. Local residents also can get training class in the Medical Office Building. This program can promise students fresh, organic fruits and vegetables for lunch every day, it can increase the employment rate, and reduce the heavy burdens by the government.

Figure 36: Top, master Plan of the Bethany Park Area shows how to reprogram the Bethany Community Center to be an AfterSchool Center. Figure 37: Bottom, master Plan of the Bethany Park Area shows how the community supported garden operates in the Bethany Park Area. 16

Phase I. After School Program Bethany Park Rain Garden Picnic Soccer Field

Bethany Community Center

Phase II. Free Lunch Program Medical Office Building

Community Garden

Training Center

Farming Farming Infrastructure Kitchen

Figure 38: A long bridge runs through the entire campus from north to south. The Bridge starts out as a pathway from Central Avenue to Bethany Park and the main entrance to the Bethany Community Center. Following this stairs, the bridge elevates to a secondfloor height which then connects to the medical office and used as a bridge library. Then used as a view platform and connects to the farming area, ending in several sidewalks.

Case Study

Small Bets

The case study I chose focus on nutritional education for kids. This project in New York is called P.S.216 Edible Schoolyard(Figure 39).23 At the heart of the project is the Kitchen Classroom, where up to thirty students can prepare and enjoy meals together. The kitchen’s butterfly-shaped roof channels rain water for reclamation. Connected to one side is the Mobile Greenhouse, extending the growing season by covering 1600sf of soil in the colder months and sliding away in the spring, over the Kitchen Classroom. On the other side is the Systems Wall: a series of spaces that include a cistern, space for composting and waste-sorting, solar batteries, dishwashing facilities, a tool shed and a chicken coop.

In order to make the “big bets” come true, we began to start with some small bets, which utilized some experiences that community already has and was easier to realize.

The project is a great way to introduce sustainable methods into children’s lives at an early age. The “edible” element will definitely pique children’s interests and help the next generation realize the importance of the eco-friendly movement.

Small Bets Small bet 1- School Garden (Figure 40) I propose designing a school garden at the Bethany Park to become an After School Program which is similar to my case study, potential local partners includes Bistro Kids,24 Communities in Schools, 25 and Kansas City Community Gardens.26 Children can vote what they want to grow in the garden. The teachers will give guideline about how to grow the food, and an introduction of the nutrition facts (vitamins, minerals, health benefits, tastes great in…) for each plant. In the harvest time, children can learn how to cook the food in the commercial kitchen and feed themselves. It will give children a chance to learn about gardening and to appreciate where food comes from. As a result, it will help children to develop healthy eating concepts.

Small bet 2- Art Work (Figure 41) In my visits in the Riverview Neighborhood Area, I have been inspired by murals on the wall through the community, sculptures made in the EPIC Studio,27 and balloon paintings children made at the parade. I also inspired by other recycled art projects, I propose temporary and installed works of art, made with local artists and local residents. This will provide a greater sense of pride and belonging to the community.

Small bet 3- Bike Trail (Figure 42)

Figure 39: The plan of the P.S. 216 Edible Schoolyard. 19

Riding a bicycle is a healthy habit and is also a popular activity in this neighborhood. I propose to add a bike trail in this park and cooperate with Free Wheels for Kids.10 The bike trail can be used to teach children safe riding skills. This trail could even be continued to the Big Eleven Lake via 11th Street which provides a variation.

Figure 40: Top, a vision of the school garden in the Bethany Park. Figure 41: Middle, a vision of the Art Work exhibition in the Bethany Park. Figure 42: Bottom, a vision of the bike trail through Bethany Park to the 11th Street. 20

Deep Development After proposed my Bethany campus, I went further to analyze my first proposal of the project which includes Bethany Park and the Bethany Community Center.

“As Built“ Analysis

Residential Housing

Bethany Community Ce

Bethany Park gets abundant sunshine all year around, with almost no big building to block it (Figure 43). Also, it has a big slope which causes watershed issues (Figure 44). Even though there’s some night lighting on Central Avenue, Bethany Park lacks enough lighting which limits the activiA ties during the evening (Figure 45).

The Bethany Community Center is also has issues. Since it has almost no windows, it’s hard for the natural light to puncture to the interior. Another challenge the main structure of the building is using load bearing walls to support the precast double T ceilings (Figure 46). When imagining renovations to the building, very limited change will be allowed to be made in these bearing walls.

Fire Station

A 21

Bethany Community Center

Residential Housing

enter

Residential Housing 44

Residential Housing Bethany Medical Office Building Parking Figure 43: Sun Path daigram. Figure 44: A view of watershed in Bethany Park. Figure 45: Night lighting in Bethany Park. Figure 46: Structure diagram of the Bethnay Community Center.

Programming In order to renovate the Bethany Community Center into a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s After-School Center, this project proposes to develop new structures while keeping the existing ones. The intended use of the first floor is learning. This project will reform the classroom and incorporate a lobby that will function as both an exhibition area and a theater. The second floor will be used for physical activities. The project is keeping the current gym while adding a new dancing room. The third floor is an eating area which will have a roof garden and kitchen. Overall, minimum changes will be made to the building, but still can achieve the requirements of the After School Program (Figure 47).

rogramming Programming

GYM GYM CLASSROOM CLASSROOM Old Old OLD 23

ROOF GARDEN ROOF GARDEN KITCHENKITCHEN DINING DINING VS

GYM GYMTHEATER

DANCINGDANCING ROOM ROOM

CLASSROOM LOBBY EXHIBITION CLASSROOM NEW New New

EATING

EAT

PLAYING PLAY

LEARNING LEARN

1. The exsiting building.

7. Utilize the gym roof as a roof garden.

2. Remove the two ugly staircases.

8. Add staircases.

3. Lower the southeast ground, let it get more sunlight.

9. Subdivide the three added boxes depending on the interior function change.

4. Add the first box as a lobby.

10. Fold the roofs.

5. Add the second box as a dancing room.

11. Extend roof overhang. Figure 47: Left, the old programming compared to the new programming of the Bethany Community Center.

6. Add the third box as a kitchen.

12. Finally get the conceptual massing.

Figure 48: Right, through a series of simple changes Bethany Community Center is transformed into a new center for childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s After School Program. 24

Design Concept

“BOX + BOX“ In order to achieve the new programming, I used a design concept- “box plus box” which can result in an infinite number of spaces. I hope to not only solve the physical spaces issues for the children, as I think we have a responsibility to create a constructive environment for them. Here are a couple of details concerning the “box plus box” concept. (1) Two parallel boxes will have a third space between them, allowing access to the boxes. This concept is used to divide the existing classroom into several smaller classrooms. Each classroom wall would be painted a different color for easy identification (Figure 49). (2) To make the dancing room and its surrounding circulations, I start with a small box located inside a larger one. The space between the small box and the large box creates a circulation area. This area is symmetrically divided with one interior side and one exterior side. This concept continues into the main staircase. Each side has different functionalities. Because of the different usages of the staircase, the lobby will have multiple functions. (Figure 50). For example, the lobby used as an exhibition room with the staircase stage (Figure 51). The lobby could also be used as a theater utilizing the staircase for seating in the evening (see figure 52). (3) By combining two boxes, a third space is created. It is a visual connection between the lobby and the kitchen. The space can function as a large bench creating a seating area (Figure 53).

“Box+Box” Detail-1

“Box+Box” Detail-3 “Box+Box” Detail-2

Figure 49: Left, “box+box“detail 1. From concept to plan. Figure 50: Middle, “box+box“detail 2. From concept to plan. Figure 53: Right, “box+box“detail 3. 26

Exhibition

Walking/Seat

Walking

Interior

Exterior

Landscape

Figure 51: Left, a view of the lobby used as an exhibition room with the staircase stage. Figure 52: Right, a view of the lobby used as a theater utilizing the staircase for seating. 28

Sustainable Design There are a few challenges mentioned before in Bethany Park: the watershed, the lack of lighting in the evening and the lack of trees. In order to solve these problems in an efficient way, sustainable design is the direction for my project. I learned from the successful example from 18th Broadway28 in Kansas City, which proximity to Bethany Park. It is a successful block which showcases and combines in one location the best practices for water and energy conservation. In Bethany Park, the slope of the site creates a watershed problem, but it can be changed into a geographical advantage. This can be done by using a series of storm water management systems to capture, purify and reuse the storm water (Figure54). Rain gardens and swales have significant filtering capabilities. As storm water from Central Avenue and 12th street flows through the swales, plants act as a natural filter to help remove contaminants in the water. Clean water is then directed to an underground cistern storage system, where it is UV-treated and pumped back out as needed for irrigation of the Bethany Park garden (Figure 55). In order to treat the insufficient night lighting problem, wind turbines will produce the energy to support the energy-efficient site lighting (Figure 56).

Road

Bike Trail Tree Sidewalk Street Swales Garden

Road

Bike Trail Tree Sidewalk

Garden

Alley Swale

Sidewalk

Rain Garden

Garden

Seasonal Garden

Lawn

Shrubs

Figure 54: The site plan of Bethany Park which includes of Rain Garden, Seasonal Garden, shrub Garden and lawn. Fihure 55: Schematic design of storm water self-treating system.

Figure 56: Schematic design of utilize renewable energy system. 30

Sustainable design also can be used in the building. The Bethany Community Center can achieve net zero water through rainwater collection and utilization, grey water reclamation, and waste composting (Figure 57).

Sustainable Design Sustainable Design Net Zero Energy Net Zero Energy Rainwater Collection Rainwater Collection

Rainwater filtration for potable uses. Rainwater filtration for potable uses.

It can also achieve net zero energy by using the ground source as a geothermal heat exchange system. Additionally, a radiant floor heating and cooling system will help to achieve this, as will natural ventilation and lighting, and PV panels to generate energy (Figure 58).

Exhaust

Fresh

Exhaust

Fresh

Mechanical Mechanical

Ground source geothermal heat exchange system Radiant floor heating and cooling system Ground source geothermal heat exchange system Heat heating recoveryand air system Radiant floor cooling system Heat recovery air system

Another goal in this sustainable design is healthy eating. A roof garden above the gym creates extensive green roofs(Figure 59),29 functioning as an outdoor classroom for the science club; edible plants are grown, harvested and then make immediately available for the cooking classes in the kitchen (Figure 60). The skyline rooftop landscape design allows natural daylight into the gym. The garden collects and recycles rainwater, and serves to reduce the urban heat island effect in a way that reinforces the educational mission of this center (Figure 61).

Extensive Green Roof Section

Expanded Polystyrene Fill 2’*25’ Recycled Plaster Lumber Pavers 6” Min Lightweight Soil Linear Planting Strips with Vegetables

Filtration Drainage Water Proofing Insulation Membrane Pre-Cast Double-T Joint 59 31

ign gn

Greywater

Waste Compost

Greywater reclamation Greywater Evapotranspiration & Infiltration Greywater reclamation Evapotranspiration & Infiltration

e uses.

uses.

Composting foam flush toilets Waste Compost (save 96% more water than tranditional flush toilets) Composting foam flush toilets (save 96% more water than tranditional flush toilets)

Fresh Fresh

hange system g system nge system m ystem

Natural Ventilation & Lighting

Energy

Solar panels on the top of the roof GridEnergy used as battery Solar panels on the top of the roof Grid used as battery

Natural Ventilation & Lighting Operable windows Operable windows

Why Roof Garden is important? Why Roof Garden is important? 1 minute

KITCHEN/ DINING

Building Insulation

Building Insulation Stormwater Retention

Figure 57: A series of approaches to achieve Net Zero Water in the Bethany Commity Center.

Reduce Heat Island Effect

Roof Garden section Stormwater Retention Linear Planting strips with vegetables Double Protection Layer for Garden Tools Drain Board Insulation and Waterproof Membrane Pre-cast Double -T Joint

2’*25’ Recycled Plaster Lumber Pavers 12” Min Lightweight Soil Expanded Polystyrene Fill

Reduce Heat Island Effect 61

Figure 58: A series of approaches to achieve Net Zero Energy in the Bethany Commity Center. Figure 59: The structure of the extensive roof. Figure 60: The plan of the roof top of the Bethany Community Center Figure 61: The benefit of Roof Garden. 32

Material The combination of both heavy and light materials will be used in the façade (Figure 62). The existing building is made of bricks is heavy. In order to maximize the interior lighting, I will cut holes into the brick wall, and fill them with glass blocks. These layers of glass blocks will transmit and refract sunlight into the gym and classroom. Big glass windows will be used in the extension spaces, and a vertical timber louver system is used on the façade to control the sunlight. Inspired by the local murals, the louvers will be painted different colors depending on the size. The density of the louvers are different in the three extension boxes depending on the different functions of the space. For example, the kitchen on the second floor needs more sunlight control, so the density of louver is tight. The stair tower on the Northwest doesn’t need too much light control, so the density of louver is loose (Figure 63).

Heavy

Brick (existing)

Glass Blocks (added) - The blocks were made by laminating 1/2”-thick glass. All blocks are 2’ wide and 4’ tall. Each unit has 10 pieces of glass blocks combine together.

Light

Glass Window

Vertical Timber Louvre Louvre size

Louvre Color

2” ×6”

Orange

2” ×9”

Yellow

2” ×12”

Red

Figure 62: Top, materials used in the Bethany Community Center, which includes the types of the materials and the details in the joints. Figure 63: Bottom, four elevations. With three different density of louver systems, the three glass boxes have three layers. 34

Figure 64 : Top, the short section shows how the roofs fold follows the space function change. And the relationship between the site and the building. Figure 65: Bottom, the long section shows the relationship from the exterior terrace landscape ramp tp the interior, and also the programmings from bottom to the rooftop.

EXTERIOR 35

STAIR TOWER

STORAGE ROOM

STAIRCASE ATRIUM

DINING

KITCHEN

EATING

PLAYING LEARNING

INTERIOR

Title of Chapter Subtitle Heading Narrative....

1. captions that describe images in detail. 2. more captions that are associated with another image, etc. 37

In Conclusion The renovations of Bethany Park and the Bethany Community Center are a part of the plan of the Bethany Campus. This campus will be used to produce nutritious food and make space for the healthy living skills for the elementary school children in this Riverview Neighborhood Area. Through the healthy environment created for the elementary school children, it also can bring a greater impact to their parents and the whole Riverview Neighborhood area, and even to other communities around us.

Notes: 1. Roberta M Feldman, Sergio Palleroni, David Perkes, and Bryan Bell. Wisdom from the Field: Public Interest Architecture In Practice. 8. Print. 2. El Centro is a not-for-profit corporation. Strengthening communities and improving lives of Latinos, they have been focused around healthy eating, health screening and physical activity. 3. According to the Wyandotte County Health Assessment Report 2012, there are 8,438 people living in the Riverview Neighborhood Area, and 5,425 of them are Latino. 4. According to the Wyandotte County Health Assessment Report 2012, the medium income in the Riverview Neighborhood Area is at 24,000 to 35,980 USD. 26.9% to 37% of people here are living in poverty. 5. Steve Curtis is the community organizater in the Community Housing of Wyandotte County organization. 6. Kathlyn is a lady who has lived in the Riverview Neighborhood Area for 20 years. I met with her in the fire station on September 6th. 7. Tracy is a mother of four children and lives a couple blocks away from the Water Way Park. I met with her in the Waterway Park on September 6th. 8. Jamie Thiessen is a teacher at M.E. Pearson Elementary school. I met with her in the M.E. Pearson Elementary School on September 6th. 9. Central Avenue Betterment Association is a registered organization located in Kansas City, KS and is focused in other activity aimed to combating community deterioration. 10. Free wheels for kids is an organization that exists to get more kids on bikes more often and more safety. 11 .Riverview Neighborhood Area was 99 out of 102 Kansas counties on 2013 KANSAS health rankings list. 12. USDA: United States Department of Agriculture 13. Beans & Greens is an organization and its mission is to create high demand for local foods, bring them to underserved communities and encourage people with low income to buy healthy produce. <http:// beansandgreens.org/> 14. Kareline is a local farmer in Lawrence. I met with her in the famer market on September 28th. 15. Dennis Edwards is an owner of Original Corner Market in the Riverview Neighborhood Area. I met him in his store on September 29th. 16. “The challenge.” Beans and Greens, n.d. Web. <http://beansandgreens.org/why_bg/the_challenge.aspx> 17. Free Lunch Program runs by federal government makes nutritionally balanced and free meals available to school children each school children each school day. School breakfasts and lunches must meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Federal nutrition standards. Some schools offer afterschool snacks to children in the school’s afterschool care programs. In order to qualify for this benefit program, child(ren) must be a resident of the state of Kansas and a parent or primary caregiver responsible for a child(ren) who attends school (high school or under). It has the specific income eligibility guidelines to take child (ren) to quality. 18. “Public schools, Kansas City, KS.” USA, Web. <http://www.usa.com/public-school/m-e-pearson-elementary-kansas-city-ks-200795001437.html?nv=kansas-city-ks-public-schools> 19. After School Program is operated by the schools and a Partner Communities in Schools organization. 39

This program surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. 20. William G. Cutler. History of the State of Kansas. A.T.dreas, Chicago, IL. 1883.Part 4 21. Chase, John, Margaret Crawford, and John Kaliski. Everyday Urbanism. New York: Monacelli, 2008. Print. P2 22. Madga Aryles, and Judit Carrera. In favor of public space- Interview with Rafael Moneo. Centre cultura contemporania de Barcelona and ACTAR, 2010. Print.P50 23. P.S.216 Edible Schoolyard is a school community garden designed by Work Architecture Company: <http://work.ac/ps-216-edible-schoolyard/?tag=architecture> 24. Bistro Kids is an organization and its mission is to become an integral part of the school community by empowering, teaching, and feeding as many students as possible. 25. Communities in Schools (CIS) is an organization that surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. 26. Kansas City Community Gardens is a not-for-profit organization that provides self-help and educational assistance to low-income people, children and community groups in the metropolitan area to grow their own food for ga.rden plots located in backyards, vacant lots, schoolyards and as community sites 27. EPIC Studio is a community clay study and provides classes for all ages and abilities. 28. 18th Broadway is a block of land located in downtown Kansas City. This site could serve as an environmental showcase and demonstration project. It could embrace what it means to live â&#x20AC;&#x153;greenâ&#x20AC;? in the context of how we dwell. 29. Extensive green roofs, with a saturated weight of 12 to 50 pounds per square foot, are the most common. With planting media of 1 to 5 inches thick.

Notes: ARCH 608, FALL 2013 The University of Kansas School of Architecture, Design & Planning Insert end notes here...

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