A new outdoor classroom at Prairie Park Nature Center is in the works, and an open house Monday will reveal plans led by University of Kansas architecture students.
This spring, Prairie Park Nature Center is partnering with the KU School of Architecture & Design, City of Lawrence Parks and Recreation, Haskell Indian Nations University, and the Native Lands Restoration Collaborative to design and build “Human|Nature,” an outdoor environmental classroom and event space.
The outdoor classroom will be spacious, and additional elements like a rental event venue, a tallgrass prairie restoration, and environmental public art installations will be available to the community, according to a news release.
And everything is set to be designed, permitted and built by third-year KU architecture students along with collaborating partners.
Final designs and eco-art will utilize biomimicry — imitations of life and nature — to celebrate the wildlife native to the prairie. This will simultaneously help nurture a healthier ecosystem, according to the release.
“The Human|Nature project will offer easy public access to our in-town prairie to foster deeper connections with nature and engagement with environmental stewardship,” according to the release.
Children will be able to benefit from the classroom as it will include activity spaces for K-12 students to visit with their schools. Plans for more than 300 nature campers ages 6 to 13 to participate there every year are in the works, as well.
The open house is scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5 at Prairie Park Nature Center, 2730 Harper St. in Lawrence.
Community members are invited to view preliminary design concepts and offer their feedback. Attendance is on a come-and-go basis. Lawrence Parks and Recreation will provide free refreshments.
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Maya Hodison (she/her) reported with The Lawrence Times from July 2021 through January 2026. Born and raised in Lawrence, she enjoys focusing on issues that people in marginalized communities face and amplifying voices that are oftentimes unvalued. Read more of her work for the Times here.
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