Construction on a new outdoor classroom space in Kingsmen Park is set to be completed soon, according to Associate Vice President for Facilities Planning & Operations at California Lutheran University Ryan Van Ommeren.ย
Executive Assistant for Academic Affairs Erin Couture said the outdoor learning environment is being constructed with the intention of providing a space where classes can be held, as well as a new space for any additional events that may take place in Kingsmen Park.ย
Couture said the inspiration for the project stemmed from the temporary outdoor classroom spaces that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tent-like structures provided staff and students with a place to continue learning, adapting to the restrictions surrounding Covid, Couture said.
According to Couture, some faculty wished to continue teaching in these spaces.ย
โBecause they were so popular, we started realizing during the pandemic — we need to make better use of all of our phenomenal outdoor space,โ Couture said.ย
Van Ommerren said that the plans to construct the new classroom started in 2022, but took longer than anticipated. He also said the design for the structure was done in-house by the university’s Capital Project Engineer/Architect Christine Cano.ย ย
Van Ommerren said that construction of the classroom began at the end of the summer of 2024, and should be completed soon. He also said the design of the classroom makes it accessible for those who may have a disability, and that it was designed in such a way that allows for a heating system to be added later if need be.ย
The location of the classroom was a highly deliberated topic according to Van Ommerren, who said there was talk of having it built in the butterfly garden near the library, or in a more centralized location closer to the Starbucks. Van Ommeren said it was decided to build in the corner of the park, closest to the other academic buildings, but not in a space with substantial foot traffic in order to ensure a peaceful learning environment, while still being in a centralized place on campus.
From a design and aesthetics perspective, Van Ommeren said that he thinks the new classroom addition to Kingsmen Park is a nice architectural feature, which adds a visual focal point to the park, and ties the park together.ย
Associate Vice President of Mission & Identity Colleen Windham-Hughes, said the vision of the location was so that it could be used for both curricular and co-curricular events, and to be in eyeshot of the new indigenous space on campus.ย
โWhen the outdoor classroom proposal came later, it was considered beneficial that it be near that space because having an outdoor classroom is possible because of our climate, but then also gives us opportunities to learn from the land as well as the books and the computers and the people,โ Windham-Hughes said.ย
Windham-Hughes said connecting with the land and indigenous neighbors of Cal Lutheran also serve as benefits of the new outdoor classroom.ย
โThere’s nothing more important in our cultural moment than slowing down, giving our attention, listening, and being willing to let go of things that we had learned that our land and indigenous neighbors let us know are not serving us or our lives together anymore,โ she said.ย
The new outdoor classroomโs proximity to the Indigenous space in the park was intentional and deliberate, according to Windham-Hughes. She said the space can be used to learn in a classroom setting while also connecting with nature and the meaning and history of the space.
According to both Couture and Van Ommeren, there is a possibility that more outdoor classrooms be built depending on the response that staff and students have to the new addition to campus.
