Gyms
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reports that the national rate of obesity among kids, ages 2 to 19, increased to 22.4% in 2020, up from 19.3% in 2019. According to their Special Report, childhood obesity is estimated to cost $14 billion annually in direct health expenses.
Background
KWA works with many schools who need gym spaces. A gym is often too big an investment initially for a school, so KWA is hired to re-think an outdoor space and how it could be used for physical activity. Sometimes we have been able to cover the outdoor space so that it can be used year-round or sometimes we have re-designed an outdoor space so it inspires different types of physical activities and helped a client populate it with “loose parts” and gym equipment so it can be more actively used.
Design Challenge
Finding the funds to do projects like school gyms that are needed but outside of an institution’s budget often involves doing projects that kick off a fundraising drive for a larger project by signaling a school’s capabilities both in terms of fundraising and project management. KWA is frequently involved in strategizing on how “kick off” projects like playgrounds or smaller indoor spaces for active recreation like dance, engage donors and function as part of a fundraising effort.
Design Strategy
The route to getting to a space for an institution that meets their programmatic needs often requires a lot of research into the physical structure of their existing buildings. Urban clients frequently can’t just do a ground-up building but have to look at their existing structures and how they can be renovated efficiently and creatively to meet the client’s needs; even when we design new structures, we often do so in the context of layers of buildings and land features that need to be carefully investigated. Doing so can both save a client money by creatively utilizing what is below grade or avoid a problem that might arise during construction by not adequately understanding the construction conditions.
Impact
KWA’s approach that begins not just with design but with construction is critical to getting clients the spaces they need as efficiently as possible. KWA is committed to helping the communities it serves build the spaces they need to solve the issues like childhood obesity that they are confronting.