UNORTHODOX PLACEMAKING
A pop-up play space that highlights nature and industry
In early 2020, Interface Studio and local recycled-materials artist Billy Dufala of RAIR (Recycled Artist in Residency) were brought in by Riverfront North Partnership to design and build a pop-up play space in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Bridesburg. The project was one of the recipients of the Play Everywhere Philly playground grants from Kaboom! and funded by the William Penn Foundation and Playful Learning Landscapes.
Bridesburg, a traditionally working-class neighborhood with a long industrial history, has been disconnected from the riverfront for decades. As the City of Philadelphia and Riverfront North Partnership look to begin construction of the new Riverfront Park at the former Philadelphia Coke Co. plant just South of Bridesburg Recreation Center, the pop-up play space was conceived to reintroduce families to their riverfront. The space included an interactive installation that used free play and guided activities to explore the riverfront’s natural history, its industrial legacy, and its future as a potential gathering space for the community. The project was later called UnOrthodox as a playful riff on the neighborhood street that leads to the future Riverfront Park.
With the engagement and design process starting amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the public outreach efforts were moved online. These included an online neighborhood survey as well as interviews and focused conversations with teachers, parents, artists, local nature experts and youth. The results of this engagement pointed out that over 60% of survey participants were parents or caretakers to children under the age of 18, and that there was great interest in having connection with nature and in spaces where the community could come together safely.
The project was designed and built on the grounds of the Bridesburg Recreation Center based on three themes: the natural history and ecology of the neighborhood, the neighborhood’s industrial past (companies such as Rohm & Hass were formerly headquartered in Bridesburg), and highlighting Bridesburg’s strong community ties.
The completed play space consists of seven fully bilingual stations with educational activities, including a Wheel of Fortune-type word scramble spelling out “Take Us To The River!” in English and Spanish, as well as two image-based puzzles depicting the industrial and natural history of the riverfront; a colorful tree stump jumping challenge; brightly-colored, laser-cut silhouettes of over 20 endemic animal species hidden throughout the site; and flexible space for Riverfront North Partnership events.
The site incorporates strategies to encourage Playful Learning, which infuses opportunities for learning into children’s everyday lives. With major gaps in our educational systems, Playful Learning aims to provide chances for children of all walks of life to build their knowledge of the world around them with the help of their peers and caregivers. The project was completed in May 2021 using upcycled materials from Revolution Recovery and reclaimed wood from Pennypack Park.
