Benson East
Social spaces created with salvaged materials
Pomegranate Center helped the Benson East community to improve their outdoor spaces. Benson East is a small, diverse community of 32 households and 25 children where over five languages are spoken. After gathering ideas from the community, we worked with a University of Washington Community and Environmental Planning class to design and build new amenities at Benson East. They include a renovated playground, tea shelter, numerous benches, a fence, four street lights and an entryway sign. Thanks to a grant from the US Forest Service, the majority of the improvements were built from “roundwood“ logs, too small to be cut into dimensional lumber. These trees must be cleared for forest health and fire prevention. The logs were hand-selected and logged from various private lands by the Vashon Forest Stewards.
- Year:
- 2003
- Location:
- Kent, Washington
- Partners:
- Benson East Tenants Association, University of Washington community and environmental planning students
- Lead Facilitator and Designer:
- Milenko Matanovic
- Wood Artist:
- Chiaki Takanohara
- Vounteer Hours:
- 500
