100 Fold designs playground equipment for school

Somers Middle School received an innovative set of playground storage structures this week, courtesy of 100 Fold Studio in Lakeside.

“We always try to find projects that benefit the local community,” said Chris Kult, the build design director at 100 Fold Studio. Since 2014, the nonprofit architecture firm has operated a summer program that provides hands-on training to young architects as they design and build structures for underserved communities, primarily in the Flathead Valley.

This year, 24 architects, including Americorps volunteers and international participants, spent five weeks designing and building unique playground equipment for Somers Middle School. The four wooden structures provide space to store yard games such as disc golf targets and other outdoor paraphernalia. Together, they also make up the equipment for a game known as, “9 Square in the Air.”

Kult described it as a combination of Four Square and volleyball, and he said it has recently become very popular with school-age children. The design team met with Somers Middle School principal Rose McIntyre and a group of students to determine the best use of the structures. “We wanted to make sure whatever we built, they’d think is cool,” Kult said.

Since Somers Middle School is committed to “taking care of the whole child,” each structure also includes activities aimed at fostering the students’ physical, social, emotional and intellectual wellbeing. For instance, there is a chessboard in the “intellectual” structure and a rock-climbing hangboard in the “physical” one.

Designing and building the structures is part of 100 Fold Studio’s eight-week summer program for young architects. Kult said he noticed most “architecture students have a lot of design experience but not a lot of build experience.” The summer program aims to fill that gap and connect the up-and-coming architects with a network of like-minded professionals.

“It’s super cool to have a place where these young professionals can come and meet other people who want to serve,” Kult noted.

John Hudson, who founded the Christian nonprofit in 2014 along with his wife Samantha, added, “It unites them that they’re all here to unite their faith and passion for architecture.”

100 Fold’s nonprofit status also allows the firm to provide its services at a low price without sacrificing on the quality.

“We provide 100 percent architectural services at a discount,” Hudson said. This equips 100 Fold to fill infrastructure needs in their community and beyond.

Some of their past projects include the stage behind the Lakeside Town Center and the community information kiosks in the Blacktail Mountain Ski Area parking lot. “We look forward to doing other projects in the valley and providing architectural services to underserved people,” Hudson said.

Their impact extends far beyond the Flathead Valley, however, to include projects in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and elsewhere. Hudson, who originally founded the organization in Alabama, said the “challenge and adventure of Montana” has prepared them to succeed much farther afield. “If you do well here, you’ll do well in Bangladesh or Cambodia,” he said.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.