Chloe Lockman, Kansas City, Kan., was one of the third-year architecture students at the University of Kansas who participated in a design-build project at KU Field Station.
The structure, a timber canopy supported by rammed-earth walls, extends over a sunny patio at the Field Station’s Armitage Education Center, a space used by many KU groups and other visitors.
The new structure is the latest project in an ongoing partnership between the Kansas Biological Survey, which manages the Field Station, and the School of Architecture, Design and Planning.
“People might be surprised to know how many KU groups come to the Armitage Center for retreats and meetings,” said Scott Campbell, an aquatic ecologist and outreach director for the Biological Survey. “This structure opens the patio to more extensive use for group planning, workshops and meals. There’s more and more evidence that time spent in nature helps us think better, and this canopy means more outdoor time during these events.”
The Biological Survey asked Chad Kraus, assistant professor of architecture, and the students enrolled in the spring 2014 section of ARCH409, known as the Dirt Works Studio, to design and build a canopy.
The structure is composed of a series of five rammed-earth walls that support the 19-by-25-foot timber canopy. There are two raised timber decks, one of which serves as a speaking platform and informal seating area. The second is a viewing platform where staff and visitors may take in the setting sun.
Kraus said the students’ design was inspired by the restored tallgrass prairie area adjacent to the Armitage Center and the landscape beyond.
The project was built on a budget of $5,000, including $3,000 in funding from the Friends of the KU Field Station and $2,000 from the architecture school. The students also received in-kind donations and discounts from several area companies.