Playgrounds are one of the most universal experiences of childhood — a familiar landscape of climbing structures, slides, and open ground that has shaped how generations of children learn, explore, and discover the world. The Playground, commissioned by the National Building Museum, reimagines that experience at a new scale and in unexpected ways: an immersive, multi-generational environment in Washington DC's historic Great Hall that invites people of all ages to rediscover the joy, wonder, and creativity of open-ended play.
The foundation of the project is a raised platform that establishes a new ground plane within the soaring atrium, organizing a constellation of circular zones into a continuous landscape connected by a looping path. Each zone is defined by warm, natural tones — oranges, reds, creams — organized into broadly monochromatic areas that give the installation cohesion while varying the atmosphere from zone to zone.
At the center, The Hill and Wavy Walls anchor the project: sculpted topography with slides and tunnels, and passages between sinuous plywood screens that visitors of any age weave around and peer through. Nearby, Dig Pit and Tot Spot are designed for younger children — crushed cork that invites scooping and shaping, soft upholstered forms and low platforms for first-time climbers — while Adventure Yard offers slightly older kids a space for "playwork," building and exploring freely with recycled and repurposed materials.
Sway Ring provides a quieter counterpoint, suspending hammocks and hanging chairs for rest and reflection at any age. The Climbing Wall, Scaffold Run, and Sport Court anchor the more active edge of the installation — vertical movement, physical challenge, and spontaneous games in a lively schoolyard environment. The looping path that connects every zone invites visitors of all ages to wander, discover, and move through the space at their own pace.
The Playground is designed with a second life in mind. The platform surface is composed of recycled rubber sourced from post-consumer athletic footwear, and the perimeter scaffold structure is fabricated for reuse after the installation closes. Play structures and materials are selected with relocation in mind, with the intention that elements will continue to serve communities across Washington, DC in parks, schoolyards, and public spaces long after the exhibition ends.
Rather than prescribing how the space should be used, The Playground creates the conditions for open-ended discovery — for children to explore freely, adults to rediscover curiosity and wonder, and everyone to find the creativity and joy that play makes possible at any age.
