On Saturday, Children's Institute, Inc. (CII), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children and families in Los Angeles's most challenged communities, teamed up with Frank Gehry to unveil the design of the future Children's Institute Watts Campus.
Gehry was joined by a host of local political leaders, officials, and community organizations who have thrown their support behind the project. Gehry Partners, LLP, is headquartered in Los Angeles, and the architect is donating his design services to CII.
Once completed, the new two-acre Watts Campus will enable CII to expand its services to 5,000 children and families in the area. The campus will include rooms for individual and group counseling, community meeting space, indoor and outdoor areas for afterschool activities, early childhood education and childcare, areas dedicated to youth development programs such as art and computer training, as well as expanded space for family support services and classes.
Headquartered near downtown Los Angeles, CII provides services to more than 24,000 children and families a year across Los Angeles County. The organization has provided social services from leased facilities in Watts for the past eight years, and has been active in the area for more than a decade.
The $35 million Watts Campus capital project is the cornerstone of a larger campaign—CII's Building on Success comprehensive fundraising campaign—which will also raise funds for operations and other needs.
Related Stories
Education Facilities | Feb 7, 2017
Let’s get physical: Design possibilities for the digital classroom
As companies are increasingly looking for people who can do things like communicate clearly, solve complex challenges, lead teams, and define strategic direction, a growing number of learners are turning to any resource where they can learn these skills quickly, effectively and in sync with their busy lives, writes Gensler's Meghan Webster.
Architects | Jan 19, 2017
Harley Ellis Devereaux merges with Deems Lewis McKinley
The combination is expected to bolster HED’s presence in northern California and the K-12 sector.
Education Facilities | Jan 17, 2017
A charter school gives adults a second chance at earning a high school diploma
A dingy basement in Washington is converted to an office-like learning environment.
Education Facilities | Jan 10, 2017
Outdoor educational environments provide a campus experience
Interior and exterior spaces harmoniously provide a campus experience to challenge children in the classroom, while also providing opportunities for learning and play outside.
Education Facilities | Dec 14, 2016
Design for NYU’s new $1 billion academic and student housing development revealed
The building has been opposed for years as activists called for the land to become a public park.
Energy Efficiency | Dec 13, 2016
A Massachusetts college now features the largest zero-net-energy academic building in Northeast
Bristol Community College wants to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Education Facilities | Dec 7, 2016
How corporate design keeps educational design relevant
Learning is a lot like working; it varies daily, ranges from individual to collaborative, formal to informal and from hands on to digital.
School Construction | Oct 23, 2016
As construction rebounds, education sector spending flattens
Post-recession slump suggests a settling in at a “normal” level similar to the mid aughts.
Education Facilities | Oct 3, 2016
College prep high school begins campus-wide transformation with 22,000-sf expansion project
The expansion marks the first phase of the two-phase project.
Education Facilities | Sep 14, 2016
POE study: Architecture firm goes back to school to reevaluate its work
HMFH has designed three elementary schools based on the premise that project-based activities promote engagement, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration.
