The Program

"Camp Design: Master Planning Basics" Series

Now that you’ve mulled over the Five Keys of your camp, you’re ready for the next major step in master planning: programming.  In the context of a camp master plan, defining programming means exploring two foundational questions:

1)      What is the camp’s purpose?

2)      Who is the camp’s audience?

You’ve likely already explored the first question.  A statement of purpose is the defining characteristic of any organization; it’s the driving force for the organization’s decision-making.  It’s very important to have a clear, simple, and well-articulated statement of purpose to be successful – and it’s essential to incorporate this sense of purpose into your master plan.

The second question, regarding the camp’s audience, is a bit more complex.  There are four major components that comprise the process of thoroughly addressing this question: market research, operational criteria, design factors, and facility requirements.

Water-based activity at Camp Sea Gull in Arapahoe, NC

Market Research

Market research involves gathering and analyzing information about what your customers want, like, and buy.  When it comes to camps, this kind of research can be as informal as chatting with parents and campers, or as formal as a full-blown survey.  Many camps review with staff annually to gain insight into which programs were successful or what kinds of complaints were most prevalent, for example.  These days, there are many tools and resources that make it easy for organizations to do their own market research, too (such as Survey Monkey).  The important thing is to have a strong understanding of the people your camp serves.

Operational Criteria

Sample Program Activity Work Sheet

The following components are the major facets of operational criteria.

• Service Groups: who the camp serves and their characteristics.  Consider the age range, gender, interests, and background of the people who come to your camp.
• Program Modes: modes of operation offered.  Is your camp a large-scale weekly overnight summer camp, or a small monthly year-round operation?
• Program Activities: activities offered.  It helps to classify activities as one of the following: land-based, water-based, climate-based, facility-based, or travel-based.
• Staff Requirements: defining characteristics of those who run your camp.  Develop a matrix that defines factors like how many staff members you have, in which areas, and their preferences for living and relaxation.
• Camper Living Concept: the building block of your camp.  You should address factors like how many campers, counselors, and bathrooms are ideal for each unit, what type of accommodation you’ll provide (tents vs. cabins), and how these units will be grouped.

Keep in mind that you’ll likely have multiple expressions for each above category – you might serve both families and girls, offer both land-based and travel-based activities, or maintain both tents and lodge residences.  For this reason it’s very helpful to develop work sheet templates, like the one featured above, for each of the categories and then fill one out for each category expression.

Design Factors

While examining your camp’s audience, it’s important to take note of several design factors that will influence the details of the eventual master plan, and thus how campers interact with your camp.  These factors are:

• Access and transportation, including travel distance, accessibility, public access, and location;
• Utilities available for your camp’s use, such as water, sewer, and electric;
• Support services, such as nearby hospitals, clinics, and fire stations;
• Codes and regulations, including regulatory agencies and building codes.

Facility Requirements

Land-based activity,
a high ropes course

The final step in programming is to establish the basic facility requirements for the master plan.  The more thorough this step of the planning process, the smarter and more efficient your final master plan will be.  You should clearly define the types of facilities you have and want.  It helps to make a list of all present and future camp facilities, and then label them as phase out, maintain, renovate, or new construction.  Examining the purpose, uses, and capacity for each structure will help you to see where your camp may need to increase or decrease spaces.  And in considering your facilities, it’s also necessary to examine vehicle and pedestrian circulation patterns, address security issues, and consider land management challenges and opportunities.

While all of this information might seem overwhelming, methodically addressing each of the topics listed above will ensure that your master plan is comprehensive, innovative, and smart, paving your camp a path to success.  Our next entry in this series will discuss how to generate a quality baseline evaluation of your camp’s existing resources.

Note: This series is based on Greg Copeland’s book “Camp Design: Master Planning Basics”, which is available for purchase here.  Greg leads Domokur Architects’ Planning and Landscape Architecture team with over 40 years of professional and planning experience.