Adventure Central
Five Rivers Metro Parks
Dayton, Ohio, 2000

Muller Architects has recently won an "Outstanding Facility Award" from the Ohio Department of Parks for the Adventure Central project.

The result of an innovative joint venture between the Dayton Parks Department and the National 4H Council, Adventure Central is intended to be a prototype facility, housing an after-school enrichment program dedicated to inner-city youth. The center is a fundamental step of a nationwide effort by 4H to become involved with inner-city youth development. The wilderness-based curriculum formed the foundation of a highly interactive design process, which included parks department planners, teachers, maintenance staff, representatives of 4H, and the children the facility would eventually serve.

In multiple, charrette-like sessions local children produced three-dimensional collages of natural themes: water, forest, and prairie. These environments were rearranged, combined, and ultimately helped to guide the renovation and restoration of the historic mill structure.