Stay Over Program Children's Furniture
Children's Furniture for an Afterschool Writing Program
B.Lab Community Based Design Collaborative Project
We partnered with Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Community School (BVHM), Dolores Street Community Services (DSCS) which runs the family shelter Stay Over Program (SOP) at the school, and 826 Valencia, a nationally recognized afterschool writing program, which shares the spaces with the family shelter.
The family shelter uses the school gym as a sleeping area. A space adjacent to the gym, previously a locker room, functions as a classroom for the afterschool program and as a dining room for the shelter families. Playful children’s furniture brightens the room and supports the writing program’s vision for creating an immersive environment for the young writers.
The design process began with an inventory of the spaces and their multiple uses, collecting feedback from all the community partners who share the space, and fulfilling a request from the teachers to reinforce the existing nautical pirate theme in the room.
The reading nook provides separation from group activities. The whiteboard for teachers integrates storage and a stage for the children to present their writings. A slotted panel system of CNC-cut plywood components allows for easy dis-assembly when the furniture pieces need to be moved. The sign-in table features a tile mosaic created by the children residing at the Stay Over Program. Playful wave-like forms nod to the ocean theme.
