Philadelphia has 40,000 vacant lots
10,000 of these are public property
These lots: Cost the city $20 million to maintain each year
Owe $70 million to the school district in back property taxes
Meanwhile… Philadelphia’s school system has run out of money
15% of its public schools are forced to close by 2014
Funds for learning and play will be cut off in schools left standing
How do we reclaim the city from the mistakes of the past? One lot at a time!
Pop Up Playhouse proposes a prototype for play to reactivate abandoned sites as places to learn and interact with the architecture of the city.
Fabricated out of durable panels made from 100% post-industrial wood and plastic waste, the waterproof structure is easy to cut and assemble. Simply pick out the stencil, pop out the panels, line them up, connect the openings, and inhabit.
Inspired by the pages of a pop up story book… each panel contains a life sized profile of a historic housing style significant to the city’s past. From the austere-fronted Federal Style to the ginger-breaded Shingle Style, the stylized panels can be arranged in any order to equip an array of connector play spaces. Varying from a ground level tunnel to an elevated look out, these in-between play spaces enable users to inhabit history… literally: by climbing through its portals and peering through its apertures.
Adaptable in both size and configuration, Pop Up Playhouse can be tailored for sites of any size. Simply reduce the number of panels to create a more space efficient design, or increase the count to maximize the number of connector play spaces within.
While playhouse prototypes can pop up in any one of the city’s 40,000 vacant lots, the first installation is proposed for the abandoned grounds of the oldest surviving school building in Philadelphia- the Mifflin School. Connecting children to the history of their city, the playhouse would celebrate a public elementary school which served immigrant populations until 1919.
Historical periods that exemplify the architecture of Philadelphia become the jumping off point for its stylized panels, connecting programs which range from canopied seating to sandboxes and monkey bars. Bring history back to life while revitalizing underused spaces in the city with Pop Up Playhouse… a prototype for learning and play in Philadelphia!
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