Muncie Makes Lab
Grand opening today
628 S. Walnut St.
Students in the College of Architecture and Planning worked to renovate the building downtown, spending $1,939 so far.
For more information, check out the project’s Facebook at facebook.com/munciemakes.
A building downtown will once again be a connection between Ball State and the community when renovations are unveiled today.
At 5 p.m. during the First Thursday Gallery Walk, the Muncie Makes Lab’s grand opening will show artwork, such as napkin sketches, from a few Ball State students in the College of Architecture and Planning.
The lab, located at 628 S. Walnut St., is part of a renovation process of the former Muncie Urban Design Studio, which was a connection between the CAP and the Muncie community before it fell into disuse.
Andrea Swartz, an associate professor of architecture, is leading the project as part of an independent project in the architecture department. Students who are in ARCH 490 have been the main workers since the beginning of the semester.
“The students have been fantastic,” Swartz said. “I told them it would be a slow journey, and they didn’t shy away from that. They’ve stuck with it.”
All of the 12 students working on the project are architecture, urban planning or landscape majors, representing all three disciplines within CAP.
The students have been revamping the physical space, such as refinishing the floor and refurbishing the bathroom. The group has spent $1,939 to cover the costs of the renovation. Support and donations have come from Heintzelman Hardwood Floors, Scherrer Construction Co., Inc., the CAP dean’s office and the Provost Immersive Learning Grant.
Ellen Forthofer, a junior urban planning major, is one of the students involved. She said the future looks bright for the Muncie Makes Lab.
“Everybody sees the potential in this place, and they want to help make it a reality,” she said.
At the First Thursday Gallery Walk, the first floor will be used. However, the group wants the floor to be in a usable state for regular workshops and projects in the community in the future.
Senior architecture major Joe Pavilonis said he’s had a positive experience working on the project, adding that the students involved have been able to overcome obstacles along way.
“The timeline has definitely been a challenge because we didn’t quite know what needed to get done when we started,” Pavilonis said. “And we encountered some obstacles when the water line actually froze.”
Forthofer said even though the building is opening to the public today, there is still work to be done on the building. She said she hopes this can be a place where students and members of the Muncie community can collaborate on projects together to make a more harmonious community.
“Long term, there has been talk of doing a makers lab, which is where students and the Muncie community would collaborate on design-build projects,” she said. “But it’s still up in the air.”
Swartz said the group is still finding its way in the process.
“We are starting it up as a place to display student, faculty and community work of a creative nature,” she said. “… I think it could be a community meeting space or a workshop place.”
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