Katrina Smyth

'Street Society'- a one week design research office: Playground in an urban area. 8- 12 March

Street Society is a oneweek design research office. It is an opportunity for MArch and BSc students of architecture at the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering (SPACE) at Queen’s University Belfast, to work together on
a real project for a real client in real time.
Client: PS²; Street Society Office: Stephen St Ledger, Rita Farrell, Sandra McGrath, Daniel Leebody, Mark Nixan, Nathan Campbell, Tomas Griffin, Simon Mallon, Mark Adamson.   
For more info see project blog: www.qubliveproject.blogspot.com/
'Street Society' site: http://streetsociety.ning.com/
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STREET SOCIETY 2010
Street Society projects seek to offer you questions that can be answered in one week: a design problem; a site to evaluate; a building, material, or construction process to investigate, document, or better understand. In bringing together students from BSc level one and MArch level 5, the Street Society seeks to build lasting connections between students at different stages in the course, and to give all participants the freedom to direct and manage their own projects. MArch students are encouraged to build upon their experiences and skills developed in practice in order to guide the project. BSc students, meanwhile, are encouraged to be equal partners and to contribute their equally valuable and useful skills to the process.
Street Society sets a very demanding pace. Groups will have to work together and work efficiently in order to produce outcomes within the short timeframe. Everyone will have a responsibility to ensure that the group functions and produces an outcome that is achievable within the tight timeframe of one week.
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Project brief:
PS² would like the Street Society to:
-investigate models and best examples of city playgrounds
-find a possible location/ s in Belfast city centre
-challenge the idea of a kids playground in new, creative ways
-make proposals for design, material, cost and timeframe
-analyze the feasibility
-look into maintenance and security
-help to assess the risk for an adventure playground / partly kids built and with changing features
-look at safety regulations
- research aspects of a mix of sheltered areas/toilets/ coffee place and play area
-look at aspects of funding and revenue
-make the urban playground something special, artistic and groundbreaking.


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