Student designs building for Mat-Su Childrens Services

The problem: Mat-Su Childrens Services, a local organization that provides free health and family services to anyone who requests it, had outgrown its small office space in the Brentwood Plaza on Shennum Drive and the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

The solution: Brentwood Plaza owner Mark Lee wanted to construct a low-cost office building for the agency to lease. But how could he keep design and construction costs low so the nonprofit group could afford the rent?

Lees son had attended Colony High School, and he remembered the school had an active drafting and architectural program that worked on community projects. He contacted CHS teacher Jeff Trotter and asked if any student would be willing, for a small fee, to design a simple, cost-effective building for his client. Trotter said he had just the person, and she agreed to do the work for free.

Claire Strother, a senior in Trotters class, is making some last-minute changes on the 8,000-square-foot building, but the facilitys ready to go.

We should break ground in April or May, Lee said. Its just been great, because with drawings in hand, I was able to talk with the contractor and get an idea about the cost.

Strother said the building will be constructed with metal siding to keep costs low, and she added wide hallways and ramps for accessibility for people with disabilities.

Its simple and cost-effective, she said of her design, which took her about 20 hours to complete using a computer drafting program. Strother had completed all of the drafting classes at the school, so she is now working at in internship in the Geographic Information Systems office at the Mat-Su Borough, drawing their tax maps.

She plans to study biology or information technology at college this fall.

This isnt the first time CHS students have worked on real-life projects, Trotter explained. His students have designed the three Habitat for Humanity houses in Mat-Su, and they enter a contest every year for the American Institute of Architects to design buildings ranging from a school for the visually impaired to a wilderness camp to a youth hostel.

Just as in real life, Strother visited Mat-Su Childrens Services to see what kind of building they would like. During the 10 years theyve been located at Brentwood Plaza, theyve grown from 20 employees to 100, so the prime need was for office space, said Kristin Vernola, the agencys program manager. The new building will be constructed on a piece of property near the current office and will have storage areas for wheelchairs and other equipment, along with dozens of cubicles for employees to share.

The project is a win-win situation because it provides experience for students while helping out a local organization, said Kim Floyd, technical preparation coordinator with Mat-Su schools.

It sure benefits our agency, Vernola said. Photo: Claire Strother, a senior at Colony High School, makes final changes to her design for a new office building for Mat-Su Childrens Services. Construction on the 8,000-square-foot building is slated to begin this summer.

Photo by MELANIE BRUBAKER MAZUR.