Baylor Interior Design Students Dream Up and Construct Grassroots Project in Downtown Waco

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Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321
WACO, Texas (Oct.10, 2014) – Interior design students from Baylor University have partnered with the city of Waco to bring color and community to the streets through an unusual development.
Since the beginning of the semester, students of Elise King, assistant professor of interior design in Baylor’s College of Health and Human Sciences, have been busy dreaming up a project for Downtown Waco to address issues of sustainable design and urban living. After creative collaboration, the class decided on an urban “parklet.”
(park +‎ let: a small space serving as an extension of the sidewalk to provide amenities and green space for people using the street, typically the size of several parking spaces.)
The studio has partnered with the city of Waco and Waco Downtown Development Corporation to install the parklet as a sustainable outdoor seating and gathering area to accommodate the businesses and food trucks that regularly line Austin Avenue. The space, which is 35 by 9 feet, will be located across from Dichotomy Coffee and Spirits.
The parklet integrates a unifying theme into the community, King said. It not only serves a functional purpose, but, like many of the recent murals painted throughout the city, gives an aesthetic boost.
“When you think about who is best to design the space, it actually makes a lot of sense. Interior design students think about the psychological aspects of a space,” King said.
Before the construction began, students conducted behavioral studies, pattern research and a demographic analysis surrounding the desired site. Then they developed a design composed of recycled and viable materials, among them reclaimed wood pallets, low-maintenance plants and repurposed artificial turf.
“The best part of the project is for the students to see something through from research and design to completion. You don’t often get that in the classroom,” King said. “On the flip side, it’s also the most challenging part.”
Even the slightest discrepancy in measurement or budgeting could send the project off track, King said.
The parklet is scheduled to debut Saturday, Oct. 11, during the GameDay Downtown celebration. It is considered a semi-permanent structure to be reevaluated annually.
For more information, contact Elise Wasser-King at Elise_King@baylor.edu.
by Sarah Czerwinski, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.