An architecture of connection : a YMCA for Benton, Kentucky

This thesis attempts to reaffirm community by resisting sprawl and challenging conventional zoning. The thrust of the project is to gather and connect the people of a small town, Benton, Kentucky, by using a mixed-use YMCA facility. It resists the spreading-out of communal activities and returns them to the traditional place of gathering, the Courthouse Square. It is an example of the way architecture plays a role in community development.