2001 Urban Treehouse : Project [DBB]

The second project of the program, now entitled DesignBuildBLUFF, consisted of an environmental education center, the Urban Treehouse, located within the west side’s Bend in the River State Park.

Working in partnership with the Bennion Center, the service learning appendage of the University, and Americorps, graduate students were again charged with the responsibility for the planning, design and construction of an assemblage of community structures in order to erase a growing weed-infested blight.

An organization of neighboring west side elementary students provided the ‘client base’ and inspiration – led by teams of graduate students, the schoolchildren created drawings, paintings, models and pasted collages that eventually actualized into elevated walkways, drainage and pond overlooks and elevated Bend in the (Jordan) River view towers.

The facility has become an integral part of the Jordan River Parkway, a way-station within a system of trails and features that runs through the middle of this vast western valley, linking suburban and exurban communities with the downtown, providing a sense of ownership for the elementary students, teachers, parents and community gardeners alike.

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