Architectural Cases

A groundbreaking project called Playrise is reimagining the role of play in humanitarian efforts by introducing modular wooden playgrounds to vulnerable children in refugee settlements and areas affected by disasters. Founded by Alexander Meininger and brought to life through the collaborative expertise of architecture studio OMMX, engineers Webb Yates, and fabricators SetWorks, this initiative champions the idea of play as a fundamental aspect of the built environment for care. The structures are designed for portability, adaptability, and ease of construction using basic tools, ensuring they can be deployed effectively in challenging logistical scenarios. The initial impression of these playgrounds is one of vibrant functionality: a raised landscape of timber frames, perforated panels, rope bridges, climbing holds, canvas roofs, and hammocks, all crafted from warm hardwood and accented with cheerful orange, green, purple, and yellow fabrics.

The Playrise system emphasizes modularity and community involvement in its design. Constructed from repetitive timber beams and panels featuring a grid of circular holes, the system offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing elements to serve multiple functions, such as holding ropes, supporting shades, or forming climbing surfaces. This straightforward design not only simplifies assembly, repair, and reconfiguration but also empowers communities and aid workers, alongside the children themselves, to customize their play spaces. The components are flat-packed to reduce shipping volume, and the use of durable iroko hardwood, along with visible metal connectors and simple fixings, ensures longevity and easy maintenance in diverse climates. The design was meticulously developed through extensive field research and workshops with displaced communities in Ethiopia and Egypt, directly incorporating their feedback on crucial factors like shade, visibility, durability, and cultural appropriateness.

Beyond its physical attributes, the Playrise playground demonstrates a profound architectural intelligence, creating dynamic spatial experiences within a compact footprint. It offers varying heights, defined thresholds, secluded nooks, vantage points, and small escape routes, providing children with a sense of personal territory—a crucial element in environments where personal space is often limited. The rhythmic repetition of the gridded timber surfaces, combined with bright fabric panels, not only adds aesthetic appeal but also provides essential shade. From a distance, the structure resembles a miniature timber village, while up close, it invites tactile engagement, encouraging children to explore, grip, step, pause, and observe their surroundings. The ultimate goal is to facilitate wider deployment of these playgrounds, with the first installation planned for the Aysaita refugee camp in Ethiopia. This pilot project will serve as a vital testing ground for assembly, usage, maintenance, and community feedback, paving the way for future installations and solidifying play's recognition as an indispensable part of humanitarian infrastructure for children in crisis.

This innovative approach to humanitarian design goes beyond merely addressing basic needs by recognizing the profound importance of play for children's well-being and development. By providing accessible, adaptable, and engaging play environments, Playrise actively fosters resilience, joy, and a sense of normalcy for young individuals in challenging circumstances. It serves as a powerful reminder that while shelter, sanitation, and logistics are critical, nurturing the spirit through play is equally essential for holistic recovery and growth.

During Milan Design Week, where elaborate installations often make fleeting appearances, Studio Method introduced 'Arrotino del Design,' a project that champions a more intimate and lasting engagement with urban communities. Inspired by Italy's historical figure of the traveling repairman, the arrotino, this initiative seeks to re-embed design into the fabric of everyday life. Far from presenting grand solutions, the project, conceived during Nieuwe Instituut's CIVICITY residency, grew from the designers' observations within Milan's Quartiere Adriano, a peripheral neighborhood already rich in social bonds and informal care networks.

Studio Method's Mobile Repair Cart Revitalizes Milanese Neighborhoods

In a refreshing departure from conventional design showcases, Studio Method, led by designers Riel Bessai and Pedro Daniel Pantaleone, launched 'Arrotino del Design' during Milan Design Week. This innovative project draws inspiration from Italy's historical traveling repairmen, known as 'arrotino,' who were integral to neighborhood life by mending household items. The initiative, born from Nieuwe Instituut's CIVICITY residency program, took root in Quartiere Adriano, a vibrant Milanese community already demonstrating robust systems of mutual support and communal activities.

Instead of imposing large-scale design interventions, Studio Method recognized the existing strengths of the neighborhood. Their approach shifted towards identifying 'micro-briefs'—small, specific needs voiced directly by residents. To address these, they created a mobile repair cart, ingeniously attached to a modified Lime scooter, which traverses the streets of Milan. This portable hub serves multiple functions: a repair station, a workshop for creative endeavors, and a communal meeting point. It facilitates hands-on repairs for practical items, such as restoring broken tables for local elderly centers and transforming damaged tiles into structural elements or broken pipes into planters. These modest, yet impactful, gestures highlight a dedication to maintenance, collective care, and sustainable practices over transient spectacle.

The designers aimed to build trust rather than just deliver solutions, allowing relationships to evolve naturally. This slower process encouraged residents to engage organically, seeking both practical repairs and insights into fabrication techniques, digital modeling, and reuse strategies. Instances such as a resident offering lunch in exchange for assistance exemplify the reciprocal dynamic fostered by the project. Through these interactions, the boundaries between repair and design began to blur, as creativity and improvisation transformed discarded materials into opportunities for shared learning and experimentation.

Ultimately, 'Arrotino del Design' serves as a vital counterbalance to the commercial intensity of Milan Design Week. By promoting conviviality, participation, and continuity, the project introduces a different rhythm into the city's design landscape. The mobile cart, now permanently connected to the Magnete community center in Adriano, continues to operate as an active neighborhood resource, moving beyond the temporary nature of typical design installations. Studio Method's work encourages a re-evaluation of design, advocating for a softer, more responsive practice rooted in attentive listening, genuine exchange, and collaborative acts of repair.