PLAY HOUSES

 

 

Project Summary

The Play House Project hinges on the theory of critical mass: if a large enough number of people enter a space, the collective perception will accept it as a norm. Once people are attracted to use it, like a magnet, more and more people will follow suite, transforming the lawn by Price Center into a viable student space in the center of campus. The Play House Project will place two small interactive structures on the periphery of the lawn, with accompanying seating. Features of the houses will include blank walls for writing and finger painting, as well as tactile walls like bubble wrap and fur which reduce stress. The Play Houses will hopefully create a new dynamic between students and this space, encouraging the installation of more permanent structures at this site that will encourage people to use it, such as more seating and tables.

 

Specifically, one house will be a “Touch House,” inviting the passersby to take notice of their environment and interact with it through tactile exploration, as well as take visual aesthetic pleasure from it. Of the four exterior walls, two will be covered in fake fur, and two will be covered in large flowers made from tissue paper, with colorful pipe cleaner stamens that people can play with and manipulate. The interior will have all four walls covered in bubble wrap, providing a fun, stress-releasing environment where people can play and relax.

 

The other house will be an “Expression House.” Whereas the “Touch House” elicits internal reactions from the participants through sensory interaction, the “Expression House” will allow people to make their own mark on their environment. Blank exterior walls will serves as canvases for people’s thoughts and artwork. Markers and paints will be provided for both people simply passing by, or for those with more time to devote to their expression. The interior of the house will feature stacks of colorful Post-it notes arranged on the walls, which will be sporadically lines with mirrors. Here people can leave messages or take them with them, while facing reflected images of themselves, other people, and the notes surrounding them.

 

Project Location

The houses will be built on the lawn overlooking Price Center for two to three days. This large, sunny space is greatly underutilized since there is very little seating, and what seating does exist is surrounding by mud. There is also little incentive for people to use this space unless it is demonstrated to them that the conditions of this space has changed and it is usable. Following its installation by Price Center, the houses will be moved to the eucalyptus grove between the Student Health Center and the Faculty Club to also bring student interest to the area.

 

 

 

 

 Effects of Intervention

            Positives

• Utilize underused space on campus
• Encourage interactions among students
• Provided an object of fun and creativity

 

            Negatives

·        Increased traffic in Price Center and Library Walk

·        Possible public exposure of inappropriate writing/art by students

 

            Target Audience

• UCSD students
• UCSD faculty
• Visitors to the campus

 

Schedule of Actions

·        Buy supplies

·        Build house frames

·        Construct interactive walls

·        Document space before intervention

·        Position frames in pre-chosen location

·        Attach walls

·        Document space during intervention

·        Remove house

·        Document space after intervention

 

 

 

Supplies and Budget

 

ITEM COST QUANTITY SOURCE TOTAL COST Wood  1’x1’x8” $2 8 Home Depot $16 Plywood  4’x8’ $7 8 Home Depot $56 Plastic Sheeting  10’x25’ $7 1 Home Depot $7 Nails * +100 Home Depot $5         1 house $84 2 houses $168 Faux fur fabric $8/yard 6 yards Walmart $48 Pipe cleaners * +100 Walmart $10 Colored tissue paper $2/pack 3 packs Walmart $6 Finger paint $3 2 Walmart $6 Markers $3 3 Walmart $9 Bubble wrap 1’x200’ $30 1 Walmart $30           Post-it notes $10/ 12 pack 4 packs Walmart $40 Mirrors NA NA Thrift stores etc $25           Total for 2  houses: $342

* = negligible individual cost

NA =  availability not yet known

           

Tools

 

            The tools needed for the project will be general building tools that I already have (hammer, tape measurer, etc). Additional cutting that the wood needs can be done with a saw from the wood shop in Mandeville, or to-order at Home Depot. I also have equipment needed to assemble the interactive walls, such as glue and paint brushes.

             I believe that other tools like electric drills and staple guns that are most costly can be shared between projects and groups.

 

Participants

 

Derek Lomas serves as a facilitator for all the Social Architecture projects. In addition to myself, friends and fellow students in the class will aid in the basic construction of the frameworks. The interactive walls can be easily made individually and attached separately. This project is designed to be lightweight and adaptable, able to complement other proposed projects aimed at improving public seating and movement of people throughout campus.