Photo Credit: Courtesy of Domokur Architects
The summer camp industry is a valuable source for inspiring, activating, and energizing community spaces for people of all ages. Public parks are taking note by utilizing amenities and programs to reintroduce the “plugged-in” generation to adventure, exploration, and fun, and promote family bonding by providing a wide range of play opportunities that have been tried and tested at youth and family camps.
Design Principles
Great camp design places people at the center by focusing on the individual. Reflective of each unique mission and vision in design, we may expect the unexpected while developing a long-term memory of place. Designed to nurture both structured and unstructured activity, a successful design instills a sense of ownership in which individuals see themselves as primary stakeholders and custodians. Like camp design, great park design is a celebration of the community and the surrounding region.
Family and youth camps are essentially small communities and are designed not just as simple spaces, but also as stories with a past, a present, and a future. They are a balance of passive and active spaces and experiences that allow for spontaneity, memory making, and imagination, where campers are encouraged to try something new and different, get outside of their comfort zones, and think creatively.