Beat The Odds (BTO) is a 501c3 org that uses the transformative power of music and the creative arts to amplify the voices of Boston’s under-resourced BIPOC youth ages 14-24 in a nurturing, safe space that promotes healing. Through our creative youth development program, we inspire youth to explore their creativity, tap into joy, and build resilience by teaching artist development, music production, dance, content creation, and life skills, paired with authentic mentorship to empower them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.
Project Brief
BTO aims to expand its programming to serve more youth, and in order to do this, they require their own dedicated space that can accommodate their youth and provide them with the space necessary to perfect their craft. Part of BTO’s long-term vision is to build a creative space that’s dedicated to serving the vibrant and diverse creative community that exists in Boston. BTO wants to imagine a space that will also serve as a hub for the Boston community to come together to collaborate in the arts realm. They aim to uplift and empower underrepresented artists, provide public benefit, and contribute to the growth and vibrancy of the music and arts community in Boston. As it stands, there is a lack of public spaces available in Boston (specifically Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan) that caters to the creative community.
Currently, BTO rents space from The Record Co., for their programs in addition to their own small space that they occupy at 634 Warren st (1200 sq feet). They will now be taking over the space next door at 632 Warren st which around 2100 sq feet. BTO wants to build out a space to include all the elements they need to serve their youth and provide them with the technology and space to do this, greatly impacting the success of their program and positive outcomes for their youth.
Day of Service
The PAYETTE team met for an extended group charrette on the Day of Service. Site and code analysis, program evaluation, and spatial aesthetics contributed to an ongoing dialogue about the design. The proposal work began with a series of hand sketches to evaluate the feasibility of different layouts. At the end of the day, the group met with community leaders from Beat the Odds to present and discuss the various strategies.
Proposal
Schematic approach
Upon investigation of the hand sketches, a set of patterns quickly began to emerge. Each of these initial studies seemed to fall within one of three basic strategies of spatial arrangement — “schemes”, that divided the space in fundamentally different ways.
Scheme “A” proposed locating the open flex space (the largest portion of the programmatic block) front and center on the floor plan. This approach takes advantage of the natural light from the windows along Warren Street while allowing all of the “hard” program spaces (conference rooms, storage, water closets) to be grouped together at the back of the plan.
Scheme “B” groups the hard program spaces at the sides, allowing for a long open flex space down the center of the plan. However, the row of structural columns dividing the spaces poses an issue of sight lines and ultimate flexibility in this scheme.
Scheme “C” proposes hard program be grouped in an “island” in the center of the plan. This allows for a spatial partition between the large performance space and a smaller co-working space at the front of the plan.
co-working plan
The client had a strong desire for a flexible open floor plan that could be reconfigured as needed. Our proposal creates moments for group collaboration, individual focus, and communal gathering with interchangeable furniture. Freestanding seats and tables, one-person booths, and soft seating provide a variety of ways to work during a typical day.
performance
On occasion, the space is converted. Individual pieces of furniture that allow for optimized co-working are stored away to allow for special performances to take place. The space feels entirely transformed once the stage is set, rows of chairs are placed, and the curtain is drawn… Showtime!
This second set of images shows what the space may look like after this transformation. The floor is cleared, allowing large-scale flexibility for community events, gatherings, and performances. This approach emphasizes the use of moveable, modular furniture rather than hard partitions as a way to enhance flexibility of space.
Community Partner:
Beat the Odds
PAYETTE Team:
Kofi Akakpo
Melissa Allen
William Cox
Christine Eichhorn
Marlena Fleck
Neha Garg
Ryan Gorday
Michael Hinchcliffe
Charlie Klee
Becca Sturgeon
Audrey Watkins
