Rockwell Group Takes It To The Playground

Famed restaurant and hotel designer David Rockwell is preparing to bring some fun to the South Street Seaport in NYC. He’s about to open a new playground he designed for free and helped to raise 2 million for the construction. Rockwell didn’t feel anyone was doing a good job at creating engaging play spaces for children. So along with his studio they took up the task of creating an entirely new playground concept.

Rockwell calls this new concept ‘Imagination Playground’. His 6 year old daughter Lola has already nicknamed it ‘Peanut Playground’ because of the shape. The experience at Imagination Playground is designed to be more activity based and collaborative. There’s lots of custom designed loose parts which can be assembled into all sorts of things. Its very open ended.

The play parts have already been field tested earlier this year at the East Village Community School. Rockwell is beginning to work with playground producer Kaboom on a portable version. He is intending to locate a portable version within each of the five boroughs. Kaboom is looking to expand the concept on a national scale. Those who have seen it including Cynthia J. Gentry, chairwoman of the Atlanta Taskforce on Play are already impressed.

The flexibility that those play boxes provide is extraordinary, plus the whole loose parts concept I love, she said. You’ve got a new place every time you go. They can make their own thing there. I just think it’s a crime that kids are not building forts anymore.

The New York Times profiled the concept recently and has a video of the field test here. The South Street Seaport site is expected to open next year.

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