Service to the Baltimore Community
In Spring 2023, Unknown Studio dedicated time and resources towards stewardship and mentorship in Baltimore City.
This year and in years ahead, our team will continue working with the Baltimore City Public Schools to introduce students to the professions of design and, in particular, to landscape architecture, while simultaneously continuing to volunteer our time to greening efforts around our beautiful city.
In March, Unknown Studio was proud to participate in the Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School annual career day. Presenting alongside judges, small business owners, astrophysicists and doctors, Claire Agre led an interactive session with the middle school scholars exploring materiality, model making, and an introductory roundtable about the built environment.
In April, Unknown Studio was represented by Sophie Pawlak and Madison Miller at the Baltimore Design School’s Career Panel Day. Joined by a gathering of architects, interior designers, and graphic designers, the group spoke to local high schoolers about the wide variety of possible career paths within the design field, the value of landscape architecture, and the beauty of working and living in Baltimore. This event was an exciting opportunity to engage with creative young people in Baltimore, see the design work they’ve been doing in their classrooms, and hopefully inspire some newfound interest in landscape.
Also at the Baltimore Design School, David Zielnicki, Dana Kash, and Anna Dennis participated in a hands-on workshop with architecture students at the Baltimore Design School. After presenting some basic principles of landscape architecture and examples of Unknown Studio’s work, the three worked with students to site benches they were constructing as part of a design-build project. The group was introduced to a broad set of design considerations including program, grading, solar orientation, spatial relationships, water flow, existing condition documentation, durability of materials, and critical root zones for existing trees. David followed up on the workshop with a presentation of key concepts related to designing, experiencing, and thinking about topography. The presentation was followed by a site walk to think through opportunities for designing topography around and in conjunction with the students’ architectural design project for a community center.
Also in April, Unknown Studio’s Sophie Pawlak participated in the Neighborhood Design Centers’s “Trash Dash” fundraising event centered around community stewardship and service. This year’s setting was at Middle Branch Park where groups gathered for a friendly competition to see which team could pick up the most litter. In addition to tending to a beloved public space, folks also competed for the top spot in categories such as “Best Found Object”, “Best Team Spirit”, and “Most Funds Raised,” for which Unknown Studio took home first prize.
