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Pavilion at the Washington Youth Garden,
located within the National Arboretum.

Responding to
Responding to

a Growing Need
a Growing Need

Architects Design

Community Gardens with Flair by Deane Madsen, Assoc. AIA

Two recent garden projects illustrate how important architecture is Until 2017, the home of the Youth Garden program was a tent,
at all scales; often it can be more difficult to design less, where which offered shade and shelter from the rain, but often became a
smaller overall square footage requires greater attention to the few slick mud puddle during and after storms. Recognizing the need
details afforded on a project. Within the National Arboretum in for a more solid structure, the Weisberg Foundation—which runs
Northeast DC, the Washington Youth Garden, by StudioMB, the Washington Youth Garden as a philanthropic tenant within the
provides a sturdy shelter for year-round outdoor teaching. In the Arboretum—enlisted StudioMB to come up with a low-budget,
District’s Northwest quadrant, the Twin Oaks Community Garden high-impact solution that would allow its educational programs
finds a new home upon a sunny hillside, terraced between accessible to continue to thrive.
pathways by ISTUDIO.
Washington Youth Garden Project: Washington Youth Garden Pavilion at the
National Arboretum,
Tucked into a single acre at the National Arboretum’s southeastern 3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC
edge, near where the Anacostia River diverges around Kingman
Architects: StudioMB
Island, the Washington Youth Garden offers children an outdoor Structural Engineers: Ehlert Bryan Consulting Structural Engineers
classroom where they can plant, grow, wash, and eat nutritious Contractor: Added Dimensions with Roy Thillberg
fruits and vegetables.

74 RESPONDING TO A GROWING NEED