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Who we are
14 students. 6 hours a week (at least). 1 project.
As C280/381 IU students in the Comprehensive Design major, we come from varying levels of experience as well as interests. From aspiring landscape architects to product designers, we have spent enough time together to know where our strengths lie and we've all been focused on one thing: how to design the best place for you.
Our job
1. Research on accessible playgrounds.
2. Data on regional disability needs that demonstrates the need for inclusive spaces.
3. List of grants that may support the development of the accessible playgrounds, as well as text and imagery for any grant submissions.
4. Rough budget for the cost of individual playground pieces.
5. Plans for the construction of each proposed piece of playground equipment.
6. Presentation materials about the design for the community to use.
predesign
schematic
development
the process
1
We first utilized the demographics that we gathered to determine the major wants and needs of the community as a whole. Young families, the elderly, middle and high school students, people with disabilities, and business owners were the main groups that we investigated. We created fictional personas to put ourselves in the shoes of the people who we determined as the main users of the park and we considered what would enhance their visit and make them want to come back time and time again. We heard from several guest speakers including designers, business owners, and an employee of Bloomington Parks and Recreation in order to get an insight on what to expect and which direction we should be going. Once completed we moved to phase two, schematic design.
The first phase involved extensive research and analysis of the city of Paoli, the existing park, and the community.
2
During phase two, we created our first designs of the park.
We first considered the overall look and feel that we each wanted the visitors to experience and displayed it by creating an aesthetic map. We then each created a series of mind maps (a series of words and phrases to create a theme) and sketches that we critiqued as a group in order to assure we were all working to achieve common goals. Through these critiques and first stages of design, we were able to address the issues that arose in our work. Everyone made rough illustrations through various mediums in order to relay our unique designs. Lastly in this phase, we made a site plan that was accurate in scale and this is when our designs really came to life.
3
During phase three, we collectively merged our individual designs into a final design that would fulfill the needs of the community.
We worked together to finalize dimensions and details, including the materials that are needed for each component of the park. Determining the materials needed required research about what the area’s weather is like, how certain materials would age, and how to cohesively connect the materials.
4
presentation
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1foVQSr_zs7rexOOkOLrfPCBBLTSQ4gS1ua1sAFxf00M/edit?usp=sharing
documentation
The fourth phase involved 3D printing, budget work, sketching, and photoshopping.
The decisions made during the previous phase led to how we chose to present our work with a physical model, a website, and a Rhino model. Our models were developed with the purpose of showing the community what our research has to offer and how it could change this space into a place.
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