Community Impact

The Hair Salon 2.0 – Zena Garrison Academy

Houston, Texas

Zina Garrison at Wimbledon
ZGA Students at Practice

Woven with lightweight steel, the towers recreate traditional and contemporary Black hairstyles at an architectural scale, functioning as shading and ventilation chimneys for the planned Zina Garrison Academy (ZGA) in Houston’s Third Ward. The Zina Garrison Academy provides 45 weeks of free tennis and education programming annually for youths aged 6 to 18 in Houston. In addition to on-court instruction, it offers college preparatory classes and lessons on health and wellness, benefiting from a five-year partnership with the University of Texas at Austin for academic enrichment and a community garden. Garrison estimated that the ZGA touched the lives of nearly 25,000 kids in its first two decades. According to current program director Yolanda Sadberry—a former student of Wilkerson’s—ZGA participants have a 99% high school graduation rate, with deep community influence.

In their 30 years of operation, they have provided free tennis instruction to more than 25,000 children. The chimneys shelter below-grade open-air rooms designed for diverse activities, from senior citizen gatherings to reading in an open-air library. The woven chimney structure is equipped with solar-powered, sensor-operated panels that open to allow sunlight in the winter and close in the summer to provide shade, activating the passive ventilation capacity of the chimneys.

Site Perspective
Site Plan
Reading Room
Children’s Play
Community Garden with Children’s Play Space in Background
Sky Garden
East – West Campus Section Campus Section
Community Garden with Children’s Play Space in Background
Reflected Ceiling Plan of Reading Room
Section Through Enclosed Court and Reading Room
Traditional Nigeria Hairstyle
Section Through Senior Citizen Recreation and Children’s Play
Wall Section Through Enclosed Court
Enclosed Court Perspective