A project by the Baltimore Design Collective

IDEO.org +ACUMEN

The Course for Human-Centered Design

How might we provide a safe recreation

area for the residents of the J Van Story

Branch Senior Apartments?

Design Challenge

Paola Albergate

Wheatie Brynes

Bianca Stacey

Sarah Templin

Selwyn Toa

Baltimore, MD

Members

Partners

Timeline

Location

TeamBaltimore Design Collective

HIGHLIGHTS J VAN STORY BRANCH SENIOR APARTMENTS

Designing a safe recreation area for elderly, under-served residents.

Elderly residents of the J Van Story Branch Senior Apartments

spend their afternoons in an abandoned parking lot across

the street. They sit on milk crates under the shade of one

small tree surrounded by litter and broken bottles. Summer

evenings are spent in that same lot, trying to deter the

“undesirables”, the sale of drugs and other activities that

affect the safety of the community.7 Weeks

Russel Deocampo, Owner The Windup Space

The Charles Theater Station North, Baltimore

Resident Interviews, Community Expert

Interviews, Local Business Owner Interviews, In-

context Immersion, Analogous Inspiration,

Card-Sorting, Brain Writing, Affinity Mapping,

Prototyping

Research Methods

RESEARCH PHASEINTERVIEWS

18Karat Gordon

Mama Rose

Floyd Gross

Charles Holmes

Dot (former resident)

Jen Goold, Exec Director Neighborhood Design Center

Andy Cook Department of Development Baltimore City

Sheryl Carmona Boone St Farm and Community

J Van Story Residents

Community Experts

Local Business Owners

Liam Flynn

Mark Melonas

Owner, Ale House Irish Pub

Founder, Luke Works Inc.

“It doesn’t matter what we need or want, they’ll do what they want anyway.”- Mama Rose

“People feel isolated and want to be a part of the community.”- 18Karat Gordon

“Most of these residents are elderly people who just want a place to talk and socialize.”

- Charles Holmes

“Benches would be nice. Shade, tables and lights!”

- Dot

“It’s important to get buy-in from all parties: the lot owner and surrounding community.”- Sheryl Carmona

“I planted trees in that vacant lot to help beautify the space.”- Liam Flynn

RESEARCH PHASE

We discovered that the residents had a wish list:

IMMERSIONS

RESEARCH PHASE

Facade of the J Van Story Branch Senior Apartments

20 Stories

357 Units

Opened in 1973

600+ Residents

Converted to mix-population housing in 2009.

In the process of being sold to private developers.

Resident gameroom, lounge & patio.

IMMERSIONS

RESEARCH PHASE

1. The mural across the street provides a nice backdrop, but there’s no shade. An orchard is soon to be planted in the grass lot, but that’s one less space for resident recreation.

2. The lot adjacent to the building is a wasted resource and is littered with trash.

3. Hanging out in the concrete lot attracts unwanted activity, especially after dark.

4. Trash is seen throughout all of the vacant lots.

5. Residents hang out in empty lots around the building instead of the designated lounge and patio inside the building because they want to feel connected to the community.

1

52

3

4

Inspiration

Druid Hill Park

Catholic Charities Center for Homeless

Weinberg Housing and Resource Center

Patterson Park

Cylburn Arboretum

Westminster House Senior Apartments

RESEARCH PHASE

Methods at Work: Card Sorting

As we grouped our findings from our research and interviews, we discovered recurring themes:

*Sense of Community *Safety *Maintenance & Logistics *Sense of Ownership and Pride

Methods at Work: Brain Writing

Our 1st Assignment 4 Workshop focused on generating solutions that addressed our themes and brainstorming how to implement those solutions. We decided to try a Brain Writing exercise. Using a timer of 2 minutes per theme, we individually jotted ideas down on index cards; 1 idea per card. At the end of each 2-minute session, we grouped the cards under their themes. When the entire exercise was finished, we collectively had 45+ unique solutions that addressed the themes discovered during the research phase.

Methods at Work: Affinity Mapping

That’s a lot of solutions! We had to find relationships between all of these possible solutions to narrow them down, so we grouped them into concepts: Structures, Events & Programs, Community & City Support, Shade & Greenery, Resident & Community Collaboration.

From those concepts, we agreed to focus on Events & Programs under the theme “Sense of Community” since this theme recurred the most during the Research Phase. Of the solutions under Events & Programs, we voted on the most unique and most feasible. We had our winner….

The Solution: Resident Movie Night

Prototype of movie night

Prototype of movie night

Testing: Resident Reactions

Testing

We realized that testing an “event” would be difficult without creating the actual event. We decided to test if our movie night idea would be received well by polling residents and how the projector would work in the space as well as seating and lighting.

“All right, yeah!” “As long as it’s not football, these guys go crazy.”

“I like funny movies, something that would make me laugh.”

“Big Momma’s House”

“Put posters up on each floor.”

“Yeah, a lot of people are going to come if you do it.”

“Scary Movie 2, so that it is also something funny, but spooky for Halloween.”

“I like funny. I’m a real drama queen.”

“Something the kids would like.”

I don’t know about the other residents, but I would go.”

“I like comedies, i don’t care what kind, as long as they keep me laughing.”

“Oh that’d be nice. That would be good, roll right down the street.”

“Mystery night, Comedy night…”

“Man of LaMancha, or something with Bette Davis”

Prototype of movie night

Testing: Vacant Lot vs YNot Lot

TestingWe received feedback from a local business owner who suggested that we host movie night in the “YNot Lot” which is just over the wall from the vacant lot that we were considering.

Reasons: • It’s safer. • It’s padded with

grass. • We can run power

from The Windup Space next door for the projector.

• It’s easily accessible for the residents.

Vacant Lot

YNot Lot

Implementation: The How

Implementation

• Seating, projector, power source all provided by: Russel Deocampo, Owner of The Windup Space

• Snacks compliments of: The Charles Theater Station North, Baltimore

• Movie chosen by residents, compliments of Wheatie Mattiasich

• Set-up Team: The Baltimore Design Collective

JOIN US FOR MOVIE NIGHT!Feature Film:

Big Momma’s House

Starring: Martin Lawrence

When:Tuesday, October 20th

Location: The YNot Lot

(next to The Windup Space)

6pm: Snacks & Seating6:30pm: Start Time

Seating provided. Complimentary snacks.

Conclusion

We anticipate an amazing outcome for movie night and hope to organize

more events for the residents of the J Van Story Branch Senior Apartments

and the surrounding community. Thanks to IDEO.org +Acumen for giving

us a great learning experience while giving back to our community!

The Baltimore Design Collective