After School Club! | Florence, Italy | Unit 21 | 2023

Situated in Florence, the proposal acts as an after-school club, providing various activities focused on play for primary school children. The site is an existing play park that is rarely used. Using the design methodology created in a previous project, in which existing parts are reconfigured and augmented to allow for more autonomy in the design, the playground parts are transformed and augmented to create a new play space. The idea is that the building is constructed from both existing parts and new, augmented joints. This means that the building becomes a toy itself, blurring the boundary between what is considered playful and what is not.

Inspired by play theory and the qualities that toys embody, the ideas of imaginative play and autonomy are key. The design’s joints embrace these qualities and as much as possible to allow for different types of play. The playground parts are used as the initial design driver, from which the space between the reconfigured parts is designed around. The building tries to embody the qualities of a toy: continuous, seamless, consistent in its colour, moveable and tactile. This is achieved through the use of coloured joints.

After School Club! – Final Film

Final Physical Building Model | Design to be deconstructed like a toy.

Final Physical Building Model

A collection of working sketches

Ground Floor Plan

Interior Render | After school club

Exterior Render | Playground