Professors Nils Gore and Rob Corser from the University of Kansas School of Architecture have partnered with The Porch to design and build structures that address the needs of our 7th Ward community and support the programming needs of our organization. In the Spring of 2006 Professors Gore and Corser and their students worked on a tool shed and shade structure for the 7th Ward Herb Farm. This project started with both classes visiting the 7th Ward and meeting residents of our neighborhood and gaining an understanding of the context of their work. Both groups of students also coordinated fundraising events in Lawrence Kansas to raise the money necessary for travel and equipment purchasing.
In the Fall semester of 2006, Professor Gore brought a new group of students back to the 7th Ward. These students designed and built a mobile stage to support The Porch Youth Arts Workshop.
In Spring 2007 both Professors have brought another new group of students to the neighborhood. professor Gore’s class is working on the design and construction of an outdoor classroom to be attached to the 7th Ward cultural center building at Pauger and Urquhart Streets. Professor Corser’s class is working on a second version of the shade structure built earlier for the Herb Farm. This shade structure will first go to New York city where it will be featured in an exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum called ‘Design for the Other 90%’, before it is delivered to the 7th Ward.
