A new outdoor classroom and event space at Prairie Park Nature Center, designed and built by KU architecture students, is almost complete.
Students with Keith Van de Riet’s Architecture 509 class Designbuild Studio held an open house in February to share their plans for the outdoor classroom. They held an in-progress open house on Friday to welcome the community to see their work so far.
The structure is set to be complete within about a week and a half, Van de Riet estimated.
The Prairie Park Pavilion is a collaboration between the class, City of Lawrence Parks and Recreation, Haskell Indian Nations University and the Native Lands Restoration Collaborative.
Matthew Garrett, Master of Architecture student, said in an email that this year’s project is “arguably the most ambitious this studio has ever faced.”
The floor area exceeds 1,500 square feet, and almost all of the structure’s materials are recycled except for fabricated steel connection elements, Garrett said.
“Repurposed utility poles from the Evergy Green Team make up our structure, and sandblasted aluminum street signs have been bent to form our ‘petals’ cladding the roof,” Garrett said.
“The resulting structure is a beautifully raw pavilion that feels as natural as it does modern,” Garrett said.
Children will be able to benefit from the classroom as it will include activity spaces for K-12 students to visit with their schools.
The remaining roof bays will soon be set into their final positions. The city will pour concrete paths that are accessible by ADA standards to ensure that everyone can enjoy the structure, and finally, large limestone blocks recycled from the demolition of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will be placed for seating, Garrett said.
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