The design and planning task is to fit a major new sports facility into an existing neighborhood

.. but it isn't easy. Landing a sports center in East St Louis is like trying to land a spaceship there -- it just does not fit, even though:

There is plenty of land, much of it flat, presently unoccupied and close to major transportation and existing recreational services.

The proposed facility will include a first-class natatorium, child-care, elderly day programs and health maintenance programs.

It is sponsored by East St. Louis-born celebrities and is assured of a rousing inauguration and public attention.

The Lansdowne neighborhood has suffered some of the worst losses of population of any in the city. Its pattern of streets is disrupted by abandonment, the adjacent and once-beautiful city park has fallen into disuse and misuse and the proposed site is bordered by busy railroads and a major highway.

This studio will be a collaboration of design studios in Architecture and Landscape Architecture and with the East St. Louis Neighborhood Technical Assistance Center. The Architecture studio will work mainly with the 3-d modeling software, formZ. Landscape Architects will use combinations of AutoCAD, formZ, Photoshop, ArcView. All work will be made available in electronic format via the WWW.

In addition to the main studio topic, students will participate in charrettes with neighborhood residents on a number of small-scale park and playground design proposals.

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more information: Brian Orland, b-orland@uiuc.edu