David Rubin at Ball State Design Week
David Rubin will be participating in Design Week at Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning on February 9-12, 2014, designing for a neighborhood revitalization by thoughtfully converting the use of an abandoned 70-acre General Motors plant in Muncie, IN. The annual workshop at Ball State invites a visionary designer to bring their own quintessential design process to help facilitate and drive group charrettes. Design week gives David a great opportunity to impart his approach toward empathy-driven design on a large urban scale. Ecological function, social connection, and economic performance are inherently collective; it’s our studio’s utilization of emotional intelligence that helps us understand these larger relationships at the urban scale as a means of advancing culture.
The initial economic catalyst for the charrette will be a youth sports program and leadership development center which is complemented by civic space and mixed-use infill. With a median income of $20,504, the surrounding neighborhood would greatly benefit from youth-focused education and leadership, as well as common civic space that invites participation and connection from all economic strata. Other design week Partners include Ross Community Center, the Muncie Community Partnership from Thomas Park & Avondale; RACER Trust Group, Ball Brothers Foundation, FlatLand Resources, and the Muncie Sanitary District.
Expect to see updates from Ball State Design Week on our Twitter feed @Land_Collective, as well as from Ball State @BallStateCAP.