Embedded Service Learning: The Benefits of Staying Put

Hector LaSala, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Description

For several years now, our School of Architecture and Design has adopted as one of its pedagogical missions to not just graduate competent and creative architects but Citizen-Architects. The remarkable tale as to how this has been achieved is the subject of my presentation. Since 2003, our architecture and design students participated in the transformation of the Outreach Center, a non-profit organization that assists the homeless population in our region. The initially-design intent that emerged was twofold: first, to generate an ambitious and comprehensive long-range master plan, and second, and most importantly, to immediately design and fabricate a series of small, modest, inexpensive and strategic elements, which would address urgent needs. Out of such a modest start, over two hundred students participated in designing and building 30+ projects, ranging from outdoor benches and an amphitheater, to the renovation of a metal warehouse into the Recovery Action Center, their chemical dependency clinic. From this point forward our efforts yielded results far beyond what we could have imagined. In 2008, due to a visit by US Senator Mary Landrieu to the site, we were able to not only share with her the remarkable works by our students, but also our master plan’s vision of an urban affordable housing development: the first of its kind for our city. Astonishingly, the $16 million, student-designed project is now built: a 98-unit, mixed-use project, two city blocks from our downtown’s main street.

 
Apr 11th, 1:00 PM Apr 11th, 2:00 PM

Embedded Service Learning: The Benefits of Staying Put

Hamilton Hall 108

For several years now, our School of Architecture and Design has adopted as one of its pedagogical missions to not just graduate competent and creative architects but Citizen-Architects. The remarkable tale as to how this has been achieved is the subject of my presentation. Since 2003, our architecture and design students participated in the transformation of the Outreach Center, a non-profit organization that assists the homeless population in our region. The initially-design intent that emerged was twofold: first, to generate an ambitious and comprehensive long-range master plan, and second, and most importantly, to immediately design and fabricate a series of small, modest, inexpensive and strategic elements, which would address urgent needs. Out of such a modest start, over two hundred students participated in designing and building 30+ projects, ranging from outdoor benches and an amphitheater, to the renovation of a metal warehouse into the Recovery Action Center, their chemical dependency clinic. From this point forward our efforts yielded results far beyond what we could have imagined. In 2008, due to a visit by US Senator Mary Landrieu to the site, we were able to not only share with her the remarkable works by our students, but also our master plan’s vision of an urban affordable housing development: the first of its kind for our city. Astonishingly, the $16 million, student-designed project is now built: a 98-unit, mixed-use project, two city blocks from our downtown’s main street.