Play is an activity that prompts participants of all ages to think creatively and react with spontaneity. Considering the physical, material, visual, and psychological implications of play on the built environment reveals the potential for architects and designers to use play as a way of rethinking design. Contrasted against the rigidity and banality of traditional academic institutions, this thesis seeks to create a publicly accessible recreational and play area, developed in partnership with an existing elementary school in Toronto.

How could play reshape the ways in which such spaces are understood or used?