Meet the awesome campers who have been learning and implementing their ideas in the design process these 5 weeks. 

Week 3 of the Summer Studio came to a close with a day-trip to the great city of Detroit! Everyone met early at Bridge of Grace and we took off in a charter bus (what!) for the 3 hour drive into the city. 

First stop was the beautiful Detroit Institute of Arts. Unfortunately, we had to cut our trip short to make it to our other stops, but the campers enjoyed a quick walk-through nonetheless.

After stopping for lunch, we continued on to Lawrence Tech University, where we met with George Charbeneau, the manager of build lab. We also toured the make lab, and a few classrooms at Lawrence Tech; one of the current grad students there even showed us a few of the projects he and his peers have been working on. The kids were able to be exposed to a true architecture and design classroom setting, as well as ask good questions of faculty and students. 

The rest of the day, we toured downtown Detroit, taking in the ways that the city has integrated sustainable design and architecture to change the landscape and vibe of the city in some pretty powerful ways. Dessert was included, of course, as well as a brief stop by the Detroit Riverway before hopping back on the bus to Fort Wayne. All in all, a good day. 

Today was an exciting day as the campers had their first Major Critique of the models they worked hard to build. For those of you just tuning in, these models are based off of ideas the campers garnered from their observations of the three lots in Mount Vernon Park (one of which we will be using to build a final prototype in). 

Based off of these observations, the campers worked in groups to create site analyses, then worked individually to build models of their designs inspired by the strengths and weaknesses of the lots. 

Today, community members gathered in Wunderkammer for refreshments as the campers presented their models and received feedback. 

Then the campers took it away, showcasing their impressive designs. 

And to end the day, just some time to be campers. A game of frisbee broke out in the parking lot. 

Making observations of the community and surrounding neighborhoods, as well as identifying their own ideas and design styles... (this included an art scavenger hunt in downtown Fort Wayne!)

Making original models using their observations and precedents as inspiration... 

Presentations of observations & designs/models, to the group and to community members... 

...and just some fun along the way. 

Back to work on Monday, with the first Major Critique of their work with college students, professionals, and community members!