The work of graduate architecture students in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs (CAPPA) will live on long after they graduate in the new Innovation Zone, which opened recently at the city of Arlington’s East Library and Recreation Center.
The students designed canopies, pods, and other seating options for the outdoor zone at the new city facility as part of their class, led by Associate Professor Brad Bell and former engineering faculty member Michael Zaretsky. The city of Arlington partnered with CAPPA on the space.
“The design studio class brought a new and creative energy to designing the Innovation Zone space,” says Jennifer Wichmann, Arlington assistant city manager. “It has been exciting to see them take the community’s input and use it to design a functional and tech-friendly space for all.”
Arabel Cutillar and Belén Vigil, two UTA students involved in the project, say that community members wanted a space that would work equally well for working and relaxing.
“This differs so much from previous studio classes in the sense that we are working with real clients and the community,” says Cutillar.
Bell says this kind of hands-on experience is invaluable for students to understand how public projects work.
“It really gave them a great idea of how the real world of architecture, clients, and the public work in real time.”
