Designers WANTED

A Community Outreach Group for Landscape Design project:

KENNEDY SCHOOL

East Boston, MA

Project Goal

Collaborate with the Friends of the Kennedy Schoolyard and the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) to develop a concept design for Phase II of the schoolyard’s renovation.

Description

The P. J. Kennedy Elementary School is adjacent to Day Square in East Boston, a dense and busy urban neighborhood.  Phase I of the schoolyard renovation, the ‘upper’ schoolyard, was completed in September 2003 with new play equipment, trees and shrubs, fencing, and picnic tables. 

Phase II includes the south-facing perimeter of the schoolyard – the ‘lower’ tier – between the sidewalk and the upper play area.  This includes the main entry into the school, a narrow, easily overlooked stairway.  An old chain link fence at the edge of the sidewalk, left in place during Phase I, creates a barrier between the neighborhood and the schoolyard. 

While the improved schoolyard serves as a community park, it is physically removed from the street by stairs, retaining walls, an edge of sloping asphalt, and two layers of chain link fences.  This is the Phase II design project which has the potential to visually and physically link the neighborhood and the schoolyard.  

Technical Details

·         The area to be addressed in Phase II of the Kennedy schoolyard renovation  is long, narrow, and sloped with a total square footage of approx. 10,000 sq. ft.

·         An active bus stop is at the corner of the project area.

·         The constituent group for this project is the Friends of the Kennedy Schoolyard, a group of school staff, parents, and neighbors who have been actively involved in the improvements; they do not currently have a vision for this area of the schoolyard.

·         A design concept is needed by the Kennedy schoolyard group to present to potential funders with graphics and written narrative describing the project.

·         Neighborhood presentations are likely.

·         Cost estimating not necessary; budget is not a constraint.

Community

The surrounding neighborhood and school population are designated as low income by the most recent US census data.  The majority of the residents in the neighborhood are Hispanic, with white and African-American residents as well.  The neighborhood is densely developed with single and multi-family  residences, and small businesses near-by.  It’s busy and dynamic.

For more information about designer opportunities for this or other community-based projects, please contact COGdesign at 781-642-6662 or info@cogdesign.org