Case Studies

Client Program

This Residential Education Discovery Center would be primarily for children groups who come as a summer camp or boy scouts to experience and learn more about the desert environment. These kids would take classes and have labs learning about ecosystem, climate and geology as well as spend the night, which in this project would be campgrounds where the kids would set up tent and fully experience camping in the middle of the desert. This would also serve as a visitors center for people coming through the park as a pitch stop to ask for directions or to take a break. There will be exhibition spaces that will show the history and ecological richness of Joshua Tree National Park as well as a stage, amphitheater, astronomy area, and a meditation room.

Why i chose precast for the project

Precast concrete is the perfect material for this project because of its thermal insulation properties as well as for its portability. Joshua Tree National Park is known for its desert biome- having extremely hot and dry temperatures during the day but dropping down to extremely cold temperatures at night. As a result of these diurnal temperature swings, precast concrete, with its high thermal insulating properties, could be able to control the temperature within a space by collecting the warmth from the sun during the day and letting it out during the night. Also, since the park is in the middle of nowhere and within a wilderness protection area, quick and easy installations of concrete and building materials are recommended. With the ability of precast concrete to be sized and created beforehand, and for its flexibility in shape and form, construction for this visitors center would be easy and simply transported to the site and rebarred into place.