Gresham Smith Design Competition : Julia Carson Community Center

Abstract

Architectural design competitions have a manner of evoking the best work capable of designers. Unfortunately, once the jury has convened and awards have been given, the projects are seldom revisited. To justify the long hours of work and further enjoy a completed project, I am reexamining the design of the Julia Carson Community Center as part of the third year Gresham Smith Design Competition. Named in honor of the late State Representative Julia Carson, the proposed community center is for the Fall Creek neighborhood of Indianapolis. Included in the analysis I evaluate whether the project was successful in meeting Julia Carson's mission, feasible and functional for the local culture, and how well the formal architectural design came to fruition. Along with the critical analysis of the third year project outcome, I also researched the John H. Boner Community Center in Indianapolis to supplement my understanding of community center design in a locally pragmatic and critical way.