9-week Project, for Exhibition (The Multispecies Metropolis). I was a member of a team of 4. My role focused on research and observation. We redesigned a popular rooftop park, Cira Green, to address issues with accessibility and exclusivity. **Skills: Design Research, Environmental/Space Design, Product Design, 3D modeling, Maya, Adobe InDesign, Procreate, AutoCAD
RoLE •
Design Researcher
CATEGORY •
Speculative
DATe •
2023
Project overview
We reimagined Cira Green as a more inclusive park for all types of people and wildlife. Instead of fixed furniture, we designed a small, flexible kit of modular objects, like ramps, benches, planters, perches that snap and stack to solve access, shelter, and habitat needs for people and urban wildlife alike.
Objectives
Find an urban space in Philadelphia, and find a way to resolve a problem in this space.
Create a modular kit-of-parts that solves overlapping needs (access, rest, shelter, feeding) for humans and non-humans.
Make the system easy to reconfigure, maintain, and scale for short-term pilots or longer installations.
Test designs in real scenarios with quick prototypes and community feedback to ensure practical, inclusive use.
Step-by-step process
Walked the site and mapped movement, micro-habitats, and conflict points.
Rapid ideation focused on repeatable geometry and simple connector logic.
Ran co-design checks and quick feedback sessions to validate assumptions.
Built low-fidelity models (cardboard/foam) to test scale and ergonomics.
Role-played real use cases, like wheelchair routing, parent with stroller, bird perching, kid play and refined details.
Iterated connector designs, dimensions, and surface treatments.
Produced 3D higher-fidelity 3D modelled mockups, exploded diagrams, and a short assembly/fabrication guide.
Illustration of Objects
My 3D models
Artist's Impression
I decided it would be helpful to further illustrate how our elements resolved problems. So I created an artist impression of Cira Green with our objects in use. Using photos as a guide, I 3D rendered Cira Gree on SketchUp. Then, I created an artist impression showcasing how our designed objects can be utilized for a diverse and inclusive audience, resolving Cira Green's exclusionary practices.
Photo inspiration and my rendering
Artist's impression labelled
Outcome
A concise, deployable 6 piece modular system was exhibited at Pratt Institute and the University of Pennsylvania. I assisted in the research and prototyping, and the project reframed how a park can be shared across species without sacrificing usability.
