casa de luz · casa de luz (house of light) is a christian community resource center located in the...

CASA DE LUZNVA-19712 Casa de Luz

CASA DE LUZ

PROJECTTHE

Start Date: October 9, 2018End Date: March 23, 2019Estimated Material Donation Valuation: $20,000+Grant Valuation: $1,000

OVERVIEW:Our Architecture Student Organization recently completed a community service project at Casa de Luz, a faith-based community center in the city’s Gateway District. The scope of the project included the whole front yard of Casa de Luz that serves as a community gathering and event space. Over the span of four months, the team met with architects, landscape architects, and community partners to design a new front yard for Casa de Luz. The construction process kicked off in February with the fabrication of the sign and planter and site demolition. In the following weeks, the team along with classmates and community partners built the new front yard from the ground-up. The new front yard includes new pavers, landscaping, planters, and outdoor furniture. The construction concluded on March 2 with a ‘Pizza and Paint’ party where community kids came together to enjoy a pizza lunch and to paint clay pots for their succulents. The event was the perfect way to celebrate the newest community space in the neighborhood.

NVA-19712 Casa de Luz

OUR CLIENT:Casa de Luz (House of Light) is a Christian community resource center located in the Gateway District of Las Vegas, NV. Casa offers various services to the neighborhood families including: neighborhood outreach, worship service, food pantry services, community gardens, tutoring, and special occasions or events. Casa de Luz was in need of a new front yard, that is a beautiful face towards the neighborhood and can function with flexibility for their needs.

As a beacon to the local community, the visibility and accessibility to Casa starts with their front door. Casa’s existing front yard is currently used primarily as a place to barbeque, hand out pizza, and an occasional work station for the employees. Our goal is to provide Casa with an inviting front elevation that is both beautiful and functional for the neighborhood community. Our organization is honored to be able to serve Casa de Luz through design and construction.

SustainabilityProject

RECYCLED CONSTRUCTION WASTEDROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS REPURPOSED MATERIALSAt the conclusion of the project, all of the construction waste was sent to a recycling facility to be processed into site infill. The construction waste consisted primarily of existing soil and demolished concrete elements.

Xeriscaping is used throughout the project in order to minimize water usage and maintenance. The landscaping also serves as an educational tool to showcase what types of plants thrive in a desert climate. During our ‘Pizza and Paint’ party, we also helped the kids plant succulents, while also educating them about plant care.

By using donated materials, we were able to source materials that were designated to be discarded. The steel from the planters were repurposed from scrap pieces at a fabrication shop.


materialsTHE

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SITETHE

Once known as the Naked City, the historical neighborhood sits behind the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino in between Las Vegas Blvd and Industrial Rd. This area was built to house low-cost apartments for the Strip workers, largely populated by showgirls. Trying to remove the reputation as the Naked City, the City of Las Vegas, coined the area the Gateway District into the downtown corridor. Today, the area consists primarily of rundown multi-unit apartments housing low-income residents. The crime levels are very high and in turn, has created a very transient neighborhood. The residents seem to come and go within months. Casa has stated to us that the community garden has not flourished because the residents do not reside within the neighborhood long enough to tend to them.

Casa de Luz provides a place of safety, serenity, and hope for the neighborhood. It is a haven both for the residents who do reside long-term and even for the transient population. Casa is especially devoted to the children of the neighborhood. They provide the children with various after-school activities, tutoring, a youth worship group, and special events. Parents can receive a full shopping cart worth of food once a month, most items donated from Trader Joe’s and Three Square.


Casa de Luz2412 Tam DrLas Vegas, NV 89102

Stratosphere Hotel & Casino

Sahara Ave

Las Ve

gas B

lvd.

DESIGNTHE

After our initial meeting at Casa de Luz, we hit the ground running with a design charrette. The objective of the design charrette was to hash out as many ideas as possible. Nothing was off limits. We wanted to create the best space possible with the resources we had. Amongst many topics, we discussed plants, furniture, and seating. We sketched out ideas while we talked, and at the end of the charrette, we had a vision of what the space would look like.

After the initial design charrette, we met with one of our professional mentors who helped us think about the logistics of our ideas. Throughout the meeting, we talked about material selection, permitting, and scheduling - all of which were critical to our advancement. Professional mentors were integral to the success of our project, as many of them have many completed projects throughout their years of practice.

Our final design included planters with integrated seating, new movable furniture, new plants, and new landscaping. We arrived at this design by identifying the critical problems of the site and addressing them through the power of design.


Our very first design meeting!

Plan and elevation of our final design

DAY 1DEMOEXISTING

Much of the original site was demolished, including the signage, concrete pad, pavers, and artificial turf. The site had endured years of wear and tear, and was in desperate need of a refresh. We wanted to redesign everything we demolished, but we also wanted to create added value to the space by providing features that were missing. As the external-facing social space of Casa de Luz, we wanted the space to be inclusive and welcoming, which is a complete transformation from what was existing.


10:00 A.M: Hour 1 of 10 trying to demolish the concrete sign.

4:00 P.M: End result of a full day of demolition.

9:00 A.M: Some help from little humans!

DAY 2SITEGRADING

The original site had many imperfections that were jeopardizing the functionality of the space. After demolition, the first priority was to completely level the site to ensure we were working with a clean slate. This was a ‘first’ for many of us. Throughout the day, we learned as we went, with professionals dropping by to teach us the tricks of the trade. By the end of the day, we were all proud of our canvas looked, and we were even more excited for the next stages of construction.


10:00 P.M: It’s been a long day, but the site preparation phase is finally completed!

8:00 A.M: The beginning of a long, but rewarding day.4:00 P.M: Learning to lay pavers with the help of experts.

5:00 P.M: Time to level those pavers!

DAY 3INSTALL

The final day of construction consisted of planting, finishing planters, and hosting a welcome event. Our plants, which included agave, palo verde, and ocotillo were all given new homes in the project. After the planting process, the planters were cladded with cumaru to provide a comfortable surface to sit on. To conclude and celebrate our final day of construction, we hosted a ‘Paint and Pizza’ party where children from the community came together to paint pots for their succulents while also enjoying slices of pizza.


12:00 P.M: Finishing touches before it’s time for pizza.

8:00 A.M: The final push

11:30 A.M: Finished just in time for the ‘Pizza and Paint’ Party!

FINALPRODUCT

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For many of us, this was our first built project from design to construction. Seeing the final product was a point of realization of how far we’ve come. Casa de Luz has done so much to help to the community, and we were glad to have been able to leverage the power and resources of our student organization and the community to give them a new front yard. The whole process was a rewarding experience, and we hope that this project not only becomes a catalyst for change in the community, but also a catalyst for community service in our organization and school.


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casa de luz · casa de luz (house of light) is a christian community resource center located in the...

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