Reactive Connections: Blue Bell Park Playscape

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As a part of the Wissahickon Valley Park System Blue Bell Park, located in Northeast Philadelphia, provides a wide variety of natural experiences that offers users an escape from the dense urban demographics of the surrounding area. As the result of a new ADA accessible nature walk that will traverse the whole park, a new series of playscapes are proposed meant to cater to all ages. Reactive Connections provides a unique experience by opening up a threshold from the trail to the South portion of the park. The ultimate goal of this project is to encourage play through sensory connection and provide users with meaningful experiences.

CONCEPTUAL SKETCHES

RESPONSIVE
Taking advantage of a natural variance in the landscape, Reactive Connections sits in small valley on the Southern Edge of Blue Bell Park. This unique shape offers an inherently playful experience that begs for responsive interactions.

DIRECTIONALITY

THRESHOLDS

Because play is a multi-faceted experience based almost purely on the individual, the transition from the main circulation of the trail to the playscape should have a sense of variety. Multiple access points to the project provides individualized entry and exposes the possibility of play to the trail in a much more dramatic way.

SENSORY PLATES

SENSORY MECHANISMS
A structural system of cables that extends over the main trail holds large plates of varying materials in tension which move according to the actions of the user. Hollow metal tubes intersect these plates and absorb sound and motion which is re-transmitted to the users, connecting them in a more dynamic way that encourages play.