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Girls Inc.
is a national non-profit youth organization dedicated to inspiring
all girls to take risks and master physical, intellectual and emotional
challenges. Girls, Inc. provides vital educational programs to millions
of American girls and empowers them to confront today’s societal
messages about their value and potential. When Girls Inc. approached
us to design their Carpinteria facility, we felt an obligation to
create inspiring spaces that could handle the multitude of uses required
to run a weekly average of 30 hours of after-school, weekend, and
summer activities.
Through playful expression of the client’s program and the agricultural
context of the surrounding Carpinteria Valley, the design of the Girls
Inc. facility evolved as a series of outbuildings, creating a safely
controlled exterior courtyard where the girls can interact with one
another and their counselors. These spaces are linked by an exterior
covered walkway to which all the main spaces have access.
By focusing on the users of the facility, the children, the solution
generates an energy and sense of playfulness. The barn structure (gymnasium)
and silo (computer lab) reflect the rural character of the area.
The interior spaces reflect their various uses with special attention
given to natural daylighting and ventilation. By scaling the interior
spaces for the children, the facility becomes a more comfortable and
usable space for them. Bright colors and low windows strengthen this
concept. |
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* Andy
Neumann’s previous partner, Scott Rowland, served as the Architect
of Record for the Girls Inc. project. |
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