Keswick Tennis Foundation

PURPOSE

To develop a world class tennis facility built entirely using best of breed renewable energy technology which will serve children with autism, disabilities, and social disadvantages.

VISION

The goal and purpose of the Keswick Tennis Foundation is to develop a dignified environment where children with autism, disabilities and social disadvantages can improve their awareness, engage their cognitive processing, and enhance their communication skills by learning the sport of tennis and by interacting with their broader ecosystem.

The proposed ecosystem will include the many high tech and ecologically friendly design features. The facility will consist of indoor and outdoor tennis facilities and habitations built using the best of breed renewable energy technology, building materials, water/sewage recycling and processing systems, power generation and will be served by organic and biodynamic food production elsewhere on the farm.

We want to develop a test case where every part of the learning and engagement process is a contained experiment zone where state of the art technologies for ecological management and optimization can be deployed.

How does green building and sustainable living connect with autistic children?

Environment.

If an autistic child is placed into both of the environments above, the difference is clear. A traditional environment is composed of distracting lights, jarring and unnatural sounds, noise pollution, and chemical ingestion in a busy public space. Alternatively, our environment creates a private, naturally lit, nearly silent, chemical-free experience.

In this environment, a child with autism can focus attention, calm their nerves, build capacity, and gain confidence. If they are too shy to handle personal interactions, they can walk outside on the farm, enjoy a walking trail, take up a project, plant in a garden, or connect with one of the animals. By creating this experience we hope to not only enhance and mold the lives of disadvantaged children but also to create a new standard of design for environmental sporting facilities.