Architects do more than design shiny new buildings. David Rockwell can vouch for that. His firm, the Rockwell Group — which has designed the Elinor
Bunin-Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center, the W New York and the W
Union Square — has taken a special interest in playgrounds. Working
pro bono, the company, which has an office at 5 Union Square West as well as in Madrid and Dubai, designed
Imagination Playground in Burling Slip, an unstructured free-play play
space in Lower Manhattan, featuring a collection of loose parts like
wheelbarrows, rolling carts and molded foam blocks, meant to encourage
kids to play creatively. The project broke ground this spring. A
portable version, known as “Imagination Playground in a Box,” will be
introduced in other cities around the country. The veteran architect
also acted as production designer for the revamped Academy Awards show
this year. Rockwell spoke with The Real Deal about his firm’s latest projects. [more]