TYPE: Community Center
LOCATION: Boston, MA
LOCATION: Boston, MA
The Kids Lab is a community center for local kids, families, and non-profits. The center will have a Maker Lab and Plant Lab with the goal of fostering learning around Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). This space was created in tandem with the development of the Hood Park park, with the program of the space created by residents, families and non-profits in Charlestown. It will be programmed in collaboration with Hood Park tenants who specialize in science and technology. Besides the two distinct Maker and Plant labs, there is a general purpose meeting space, classroom, and meeting room. Overhead doors in the partition walls allow these spaces to be combined to allow for maximum flexibility of the space. A large branching tree creates a focal point in the room, with branches that distribute lighting, and integrate HVAC, and a canopy that serves as an acoustic treatment. Made of basic CNC'd plywood, a common material produced in Maker spaces, the branches inspire what can be created in this space.