A Place for All to Meet and Make: Concrete Couch's Future Home
Concrete Couch is developing a blighted 5.6 acre parcel of land in the Southeast corner of downtown Colorado Springs. Pending a federal HUD grant, we will close on the property in spring of 2019. After this, we will platte and re-zone the land to build several structures and a community hub for construction, arts, permaculture, recycling, recreating, riparian/ecology programs, and community gatherings of all types. On the west end of the property will be the BEST community designed and built playground in the state with the eventual Legacy Loop connection running through it. We are excited to bring in community partners for bike trails, recreating, play, environmental work, sculptures, permaculture, and construction.
Read our plan here
1. Our Development plans for next year
In the spring of 2018 we built a Tiny Home with Community Prep School and Landmark School students (7.5’ x 18’). This honed our construction skills and resulted in what will become our construction-trailer for the 1100 S Royer property.
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A.) Office, caretaker's residence, bathrooms
Utilizing similar construction as the Tiny Home, we plan to build a caretaker’s residence, office space, and bathrooms on our new site (size approximately 18’ x 80’).
PARTNERS: We will work with Community Prep High School, Atlas Prep High School, and Pikes Peak Community College Construction Division to partner students with industry professionals and Concrete Couch staff to build our offices as a program for job-training.
PARTNERS: We will work with Community Prep High School, Atlas Prep High School, and Pikes Peak Community College Construction Division to partner students with industry professionals and Concrete Couch staff to build our offices as a program for job-training.
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B.) Garages
The concrete bays shown below Left (remnants of a former concrete batch plant) will be covered with roofing and transformed into garage/storage space.
The garages will utilise similar materials and skills as our “Outbac Studio” at the Manitou Art Center (bottom right, 14’ x 30’, this space was engineering and permitted, through Regional Building Department, by Concrete Couch in 2009)
The garages will utilise similar materials and skills as our “Outbac Studio” at the Manitou Art Center (bottom right, 14’ x 30’, this space was engineering and permitted, through Regional Building Department, by Concrete Couch in 2009)
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C.) Fencing
We have begun fencing the property with community-built art panels to prevent people from illegally dumping trash onsite and to generally give notice that the space is being cared for. Pikes Peak Community College Construction Division, the Colorado Springs Senior Center, Atlas Prep Middle School, and Hillside Community Center folks have all helped in building panels for the fence.
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2. The State's Premier Community Designed and Built Park
The West end of the property will include community designed and built elements -- these construction projects may be informed by some of our other community designed and built projects around town (examples shown below). All of these elements will be community designed and built, heavily integrating students and community members to learn from and drive the process. There is limitless potential for community to create its own park on this land.
A.) Shooks Run and the Legacy Loop
The Envision Shooks Run Master Plan calls for “Destination Program Zones” in the Shooks Run Corridor. Our property is located in the heart of one of these zones, with the planned Legacy Loop trail running through the middle, and our designated use as an interactive space for recreation, nature exploration, and art are in line with the master plan. We also plan to have a bike repair station and single track bike trails (built by the Urban Single Track Project).
B.) Permaculture and Sustainability |
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We plan to demonstrate low-tech DIY home gardening/permaculture systems such as rain gardens, cold frames, and compost bins as we have done throughout the Pikes Peak region (several examples shown below). We plan to landscape and move earth to retain storm water in plantings and orchards. We will have PV solar panels on site for electricity and demonstration of sustainability.
The Couch's impact in Colorado Springs
Executive Director Steve Wood’s and Concrete Couch’s Awards
“Service Learning Award” (1996),
“Community Weaver Award” (1998), from KRCC and the CS Independent
“Public Art Empowering Youth Award” (1999) from the Pikes Peak Arts Council
“Continuing Support for Arts Education Award” (2003) from the Arts, Business, and Education Consortium
“Service Outside the Field Award” (2008) from the Colorado Art Educators Assoc.
“Bee an Arts Leader Award” (2012) from the Bee Vradenburg Foundation
“Starr Kempf Imagination Award” (2015) from the What If Festival of Innovation and Imagination
“Charles Rockey Artistic Endeavors Award” from the Manitou Springs Collaborative
“Project of the Year Award” (2003) from the American Public Works Assoc. (with Mario Miguel Echevarria and others)
“E-chievement Award” (2017) from E-Town
“Compatible New Construction Award” (2017)from the Colorado Springs Historic Preservation Alliance.
“Future of the Arts” (2017) from the Pikes Peak Arts Council
Steve has been invited to be the Keynote Speaker for the Colorado Art Education Association’s annual conference in November 2018.
“Service Learning Award” (1996),
“Community Weaver Award” (1998), from KRCC and the CS Independent
“Public Art Empowering Youth Award” (1999) from the Pikes Peak Arts Council
“Continuing Support for Arts Education Award” (2003) from the Arts, Business, and Education Consortium
“Service Outside the Field Award” (2008) from the Colorado Art Educators Assoc.
“Bee an Arts Leader Award” (2012) from the Bee Vradenburg Foundation
“Starr Kempf Imagination Award” (2015) from the What If Festival of Innovation and Imagination
“Charles Rockey Artistic Endeavors Award” from the Manitou Springs Collaborative
“Project of the Year Award” (2003) from the American Public Works Assoc. (with Mario Miguel Echevarria and others)
“E-chievement Award” (2017) from E-Town
“Compatible New Construction Award” (2017)from the Colorado Springs Historic Preservation Alliance.
“Future of the Arts” (2017) from the Pikes Peak Arts Council
Steve has been invited to be the Keynote Speaker for the Colorado Art Education Association’s annual conference in November 2018.
Concrete Couch has brought over $1.2 million in direct value to Colorado Springs through programming at schools, community centers, parks, and anywhere else people have been excited to work. We have over 800 projects around town and plan to complete another 800 in the next 20 years.