In collaboration with DownCity Design, Urban Pond Procession and Joshua Lantzy, I worked with 4th and 5th graders at Reservoir Avenue Elementary School in Providence, RI to learn about water systems in the city and design a new interactive play space for a bare dirt patch in their school yard. They began by learning about local water cycles and water quality issues, and thought about what activities they would like to do in the space. They imagined a stage-like structure that would double as rainwater catchment, preventing stormwater runoff from polluting local waterways.
Engaging principles of participatory design, biomimicry, and stormwater remediation into our design cycle, we imagined, modeled, presented, and built stage one of the Oasis.
