Destination Playground Planned for Brownsville

An unusual, tree-house-inspired playground is going into an existing park in Brownsville, the Architzer blog reported. It’s called the Imagination Playground, and its central feature is big building blocks made of blue foam, designed to encourage children to play creatively on their own. A similar playground already exists in Manhattan at the South Street Seaport, and others have been springing up around the country; the playgrounds and the blocks were designed and donated by architectural firm Rockwell Group. The multi-level space at Brownsville’s Betsy Head Park will incorporate sand and water, and a long, winding play ramp will weave through the surrounding trees, said the blog. “With the sand and water areas, the whole park sets up a totally changeable, mashable environment,” said Rockwell Group’s Marc Hacker at a press conference Tuesday. “And it’s not just for kids!” Construction will start in the spring in 2014; the playground will open in 2015. Staff will be on hand to supervise the play. The blog post noted city officials have high expectations for the impact of the playground: “The Imagination Playground will be a haven from the stress of the streets, create a safer neighborhood, and reduce crime,” said City Council Member Darlene Mealy. ”It will encourage our children to think creatively and out of the box, which is crucial to their development. If we take care of our parks first, then our kids will have more to do than just stand around.” What do you make of it?
A Treehouse-Inspired Playground Grows in Brooklyn [Architizer Blog]
Renderings by Rockwell Group via Architizer.