Introduction

OVERVIEW:
This Blog is to document the development of the Outdoor Classroom project on the Eastern Campus of Suffolk County Community College - located in Riverhead, NY. The Outdoor Classroom is intended to serve as a flexible and functional space for academic programs, performances and other activities, as well as to be an attractive sculptural element of the campus landscape.


DESIGN:
The design of The Outdoor Classroom is essentially two concentric retaining walls of 24' and 27' diameters respectively. A capstone on the lower wall (18" high) provides student seating. The taller (48") outer wall serves as the seat back. The instructor will lecture from the center of the circle which is open at one end for access. The outer wall will slope away gradually and be seeded with grass, as will the interior of the dugout area. The design concept model is shown above.

Materials for the project will consist of:

• Vertica wall* stretchers, caps and corner stones for the retaining walls
• 18"x18" pewter Devon Stone* blocks for the seating surface

* Manufactured by E.P. Henry Corp.: http://www.ephenry.com/

BUDGET:

The preliminary budget estimate for complete construction of The Outdoor Classroom is on the order of $6500. This cost is almost entirely related to the material costs identified above, as the bulk of the installation labor will be provided by SCCC Plant Operations staff and volunteers. Partial funding for construction of the Outdoor Classroom was provided by the Suffolk County Community College Foundation in the form of a Mini-Grant award under the Striving for Excellence program. Additional donations toward the cost of the project are being sought.