RECALIBRATE
VARIETY
WELCOME
‘CENTER
Class: Elective Architectural Design Studio: Capstone Studio
Professor: Sally Harrison
Semester: Spring 2020
Program: Welcome Center
Location: 2950 Potshop Road, Worcester, PA
Variety’s mission statement and goal is “to enrich the lives of children and young adults with disabilities through social, educational, and vocational programs that nurture independence, self-confidence and prepares them for life.” As an organization founded in 1949 to benefit children with polio through its programs, it has today become one that serves children and young adults with an array of physical and intellectual disabilities. Through their summer camp program and through their other programs as well as through a new master plan for the campus, Variety envisions a better future in which they can manifest their values and mission statement more impactfully and better prepare their campers with disabilities for life.
Variety’s Welcome Center is proposed as a gateway to this place in which the intention is to facilitate these objectives. It is conceived as both a welcoming entrance to the campus as well as a transition of conditions, a threshold, through which those sensitive to sensory stimulation can easily adjust to the environment. The majority of Variety’s campers have autism and the rest have other disabilities such as Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, all of which are characterized by a susceptibility to environmental overstimulation. The Welcome Center therefore functions as a transition zone, or buffer zone, for those who are sensitive to physical conditions to more easily recalibrate to the place that they are entering. This threshold is also conceived as an extension of the surrounding woodlands and connection to the natural environment. In addition to natural environments being beneficial to everyone, it has been found that outdoor spaces are very effective in helping those with autism to recalibrate to their surroundings. As the student enters the lobby after their trip and arrival to the campus, they are able to adjust in a forest-like interior environment before going about their camp activities.
There are “various benefits of the outdoor space or ‘healing garden’...the architectural role of the outdoor learning space [is] a transitional zone. This zone is essential to the success of the sensory zoning concept in that it allows the sensory recalibration of the student.”
- Magda Mostafa, “Architecture for Autism: Autism ASPECTSSTM in School Design”
“Studies have shown that over 90 percent of people with autism experience unusual sensory processing. In this case a person may have extreme reactions to sensory input; some seeking it (hypo-sensitivity) others avoiding it (hyper-sensitivity). It is therefore essential to design outdoor spaces flexibly enough to offer a range of experiences that can be enjoyed both by those seeking sensory stimulation and those who wish to minimise it.”
- Katie Gaudion and Chris McGinley, “Green Spaces Outdoor Environments for Adults with Autism”
“Inclusive design should not merely accommodate our experience within the built environment—it should inspire it.”
- Blaine Brownell, “A Case for Inclusive Design”
AXES OF CIRCULATION
A primary axis cuts through the Center, clearly articulating a corridor of circulation and thereby allowing for easy navigation into the campus. A secondary axis branches off from this main axis, improving connection to the adjacent outdoor spaces and creating a small neighborhood.
A HUB
The atrium functions as an intermediate social space for the campers, allowing them to exercise their social skills. Arranged along it are various spaces which provide opportunities for the campers to also exercise their vocational skills and which showcase Variety’s mission.
AN EXTENSION OF THE FOREST
Maintaining the essence of the traditional summer camp as well as respecting the surrounding ecosystem, the proposal functions as an extension of the forest. It features vegetation and a timber structure. This also serves to create a neutral zone for sensitive campers to recalibrate.
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
Program locations and adjacencies have been considered according to function as well as sensory stimulation. A range of sensory conditions accommodates both those with hypersensitivity as well as those with hyposensitivity. Spaces have also been separated and organized to recognize the preference of those with autism for routine. A gathering space is proposed to be used for activities campers participate in upon their arrival to and departure from the campus as well as for other events.
ATRIUM LOOKING WEST
INFORMATION AREA
GATHERING SPACE
CAFE
CAMPUS-SIDE / WEST ENTRANCE
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
FRAMING PLAN
