There are numerous reasons for cities and towns across the country to apply for Playful City USA status and KaBOOM! just added another! Five communities honored with Playful City USA designation in 2009 will receive an Imagination Playground in a BOX – the innovative playground collaboration between KaBOOM! and architect David Rockwell!

Applications to become a Playful City USA community in 2009 are available. Communities who submit their application by the early deadline of April 1, 2009 will be eligible to receive an Imagination Playground in a BOX – a playground that features a system of loose parts children can put together in limitless combinations that allows for turning a playground into a space constantly built and re-built by their imagination.

Another benefit of being named a Playful City USA is national recognition. KaBOOM! honored 67 Playful City USA communities in 2008 and each will be honored in front of more than 4,000 individuals at the 2008 National League of Cities Congress of Cities and Exposition, which will be held Nov. 11-15 in Orlando. Representatives from communities will also participate in a KaBOOM! led Playful City USA themed playground build in Orlando courtesy of KOOL-AID on Friday, Nov. 14.

Learn how to apply for 2009 Playful City USA.

By Raul Barreneche
Interior Design Magazine
Sept. 1, 2008

You may think you know David Rockwell. The founder of the New York firm Rockwell Group has made a name designing memorably theatrical restaurants and hotels such as Nobu and the W chain, as well as actual stage sets for Hairspray, Legally Blond, and other Broadway productions. But you probably didn't know that Rockwell has designed portable playgrounds, soon to hit hundreds of schoolyards all over the country. Or that he developed an in-house digital software lab. Here, the gregarious Rockwell-who will receive a National Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum next month-talks about what kids do best, stretching technological limits, and keeping one's curiosity in shape.

Tell us about the playgrounds you've designed.

Our concept, called Imagination Playground, is based on the idea of free play. It includes loose polyethylene foam elements that are like big building blocks, letting kids do what kids do best: construct their own world, break it down, start over. There's also a portable version consisting of 150 pieces in two crates. We're partnering with the advocacy group Kaboom! In the next couple of years, they hope to provide Imagination Playgrounds to about 500 schools and communities across the country. The first I.P. is going up next summer at Burling Slip, near the South Street Seaport, while Kaboom! funded the first portable I.P., in Brooklyn...

Learn more about Imagination Playground.

Playworkers at Imagination Playground in a BOX opening, July 9, 2008 Learn more about Imagination Playground

By Penny Wilson and Joan Almon

When adventure playgrounds began in London after World War II they were staffed by “wardens.” They kept the keys for the tool sheds, which held the building materials and bits and pieces that the children needed for their playing. This role rapidly developed as the wardens discovered the wonder of play and became advocates for children's play. They gathered materials and local support and facilitated the play processes of the children. Gradually the wardens became “play leaders” and then “playworkers,” because they understood that they must not be leading the play of children — rather they should be working with play.

The term playwork is a deliberate oxymoron. It is a craft filled with paradoxes, for in an ideal world playworkers would not need to exist. Across Europe and in Japan playworkers manage the spaces for children’s play, but their work needs to be as invisible and unobtrusive as possible...

Morgan Clendaniel
GOOD Magazine

Lower Manhattan, already a playground for New York’s wealthy, is fast becoming the epicenter of playground innovation. In addition to the Teardrop Park, the tip of the island will soon be home to the Imagination Playground, a new play space designed, pro bono, by David Rockwell, the architect behind über-casino Mohegan Sun and the sets for the Broadway run of Hairspray. He conceived of the idea as a way to give back to the area after 9/11.

Being bowled over by his children’s ability to find endless enjoyment in a cardboard box, Rockwell began to realize that he could design a playground that emphasized the imaginative power of young children, instead of just doing a slick architect’s take on the kind of formulaic playgrounds so prevalent in the rest of the country. [More]

Learn more about KaBOOM! and Imagination Playground.

The portable play area — an offshoot of the permanent Imagination Playground concept that is scheduled to break ground later this month — was installed in partnership with Kaboom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting play space.

The design includes a variety of loose pieces to promote flexibility and allow children to use their imagination to design the play area. Children can transform the playground to suit their needs, as was the case at the introduction ceremony when a water feature incorporated into the play area was manipulated with a series of connected tubes.

Darell Hammond, chief executive officer at Kaboom, spoke with School Construction News during a phone interview. [More]

Accompanying article: Spotlight July/August 2008 - N.Y. Architect, Kaboom Introduce New Playground Concept

Learn more about Imagination Playground.

andDESIGN Blog
Aug. 6, 2008

Both David Rockwell and Frank Gehry are designing playgrounds for New York City. Playground design moves the typical design of an environment to more of a design of an experience.

Frank Gehry is one of the world's most influential architects famous for his metal-clad buildings like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. He will be designing a playground for Battery Park in New York City.

David Rockwell, the founder and CEO of Rockwell Group, a Manhattan-based architectural firm, is best known for his work designing theaters, such as the Kodak in Los Angeles (home to the Oscars); high-end restaurants, such as the various Nobus around the world; and Broadway stage sets, including those for "Hairspray," "Legally Blonde" and the coming "Catch Me if You Can." Now the designer of grown-up amusements is focusing on child's play and children's playgrounds. [More]

Learn more about KaBOOM! and Imagination Playground.

David Rockwell Keeps to Playground Design Plans
Aug. 6, 2008

An interesting piece from the Wall Street Journal about an alteration of career plans for famous theatrical/building designer, David Rockwell. Known for his work building backdrops for big name Broadway shows and even serving as the lead architect for the theaters themselves (he designed and built the Kodak Theater in LA), he's recently decided that he's still very into the playground designing market (for kids, specifically), the first of which should be completed sometime within the next year in NY. All this in the name of making urban life a little more kid-friendly and kid-encouraging. [More]

Learn more about Imagination Playground and KaBOOM!.

By DAN ACKMAN
Wall Street Journal
Aug. 5, 2008

David Rockwell, the founder of CEO of Rockwell Group, a Manhattan-based architectural firm, is best known for his work designing theaters, such as the Kodak in Los Angeles (home to the Oscars); high-end restaurants, such as the various Nobus around the world; and Broadway stage sets, including those for "Hairspray," "Legally Blonde" and the coming "Catch Me if You Can." Now the designer of grown-up amusements is focusing on child's play and children's playgrounds. [More]

Learn more about Imagination Playground.

Rockwell Group Takes It To The Playground
by Dave Pinter
July 21, 2008

Excerpt:

The play parts have already been field tested earlier this year at the East Village Community School. Rockwell is beginning to work with playground producer Kaboom on a portable version. He is intending to locate a portable version within each of the five boroughs. Kaboom is looking to expand the concept on a national scale. Those who have seen it including Cynthia J. Gentry, chairwoman of the Atlanta Taskforce on Play are already impressed. [More]

Learn more about Imagination Playground.

The Land Of Pure Imagination
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
July 14, 2008

The wise philosopher, Willy Wonka, once said, “There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination.” Now, with physical improvements to Brownsville Playground and the addition of the Rockwell Group’s mobile Imagination Playground in a BOX, children’s imaginations can expand all summer long. [More]

The Power of the "Imagination Playground"
A Creator's Guide
July 16, 2008
Well, high fives - and fist bumps - to architect David Rockwell, whose is applying his genius for creating spaces to a new venture called "Imagination Playground" - an collaborative initiative with urban playground king Kaboom to offer children (especially those in low-income neighborhoods) innovative, colorful playspaces to let their imaginations run wild. [More]

Learn more about KaBOOM! and Imagination Playground.

BY AYALA FALK 
New York Daily News
July 15, 2008

Most surprises come in a box, and for the children in Brownsville, their summer surprise came in a giant one.

The Imagination Playground is a giant box filled with blocks, cones, sprinklers and sand - all the tools a youngster needs to build his or her own ideal playground.

"I'm building a castle, and tomorrow, I'm going to build a spaceship," said gleeful Remel Isil, 6, before he scampered off to join his friends at the Brownsville Recreation Center playground.

Inspired by his own children playing, David Rockwell, an award-winning architect, created a playground where children will not only get their dose of outdoor activity, but will also stretch their imaginations and hone their creativity.

"Kids have this innate instinct to collaborate and play," said Rockwell. Imagination Playground provides kids with "the raw ingredients for creativity," he explained.

Rockwell teamed with nationwide playground creator, KaBOOM! and the city Parks Department to bring the special playground to Brownsville for the summer. [More]

Learn more about Imagination Playground and KaBOOM!.

By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ
New York Times
July 14, 2008

It began as a six-foot-long robot named Simon. Then over the course of a few minutes, Kamai Pugh, 7, took Simon apart and transformed the array of blue blocks and foam noodles into a child’s vision of a miniature park with swing sets, a weighing scale, a balance beam, a swimming pool and finally, a lime-green airplane.

At the Imagination Playground in a Box, no fantasy seems too far-fetched. The colorful gear, which arrived at the Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn last week and will remain there through Labor Day, is designed to unleash creativity by allowing children to invent their own activities. [More]

Learn more about Imagination Playground

We've got lots of great new photos now available!

Brownsville, NY - Imagination Playground in a BOX Opening, 7/9/08
Houston, TX - Candlelight Oaks Civic Club (KOOL-AID), 7/9/08
Biloxi, MS - City of Biloxi (Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund), 6/28/08
Jacksonville, FL - Housing Partnership of Northeast Florida (WaMu), 6/28/08
San Antonio, TX - El Carmen Society for Community Advancement (USDA- 4H), 5/06/08

See all photo galleries.

Architect David Rockwell, in Partnership with KaBOOM!, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and Local Officials Present an Expandable Collection of Imagination Playground’s Signature Loose Parts to Encourage Creative, Collaborative Kids’ Play

See photos from the event

On Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 12pm, architect David Rockwell of Rockwell Group, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, KaBOOM! CEO and co-founder Darell Hammond, Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barron and other local dignitaries will unveil the first-ever Imagination Playground in a BOX – a new children’s play space at the Brownsville Recreation Center playground, located at Linden Boulevard between Mother Gaston Boulevard and Christopher Street in Brooklyn, NY.  Sixty children from the Brownsville Summer Camp will be on hand to see the introduction of their new play space and of course, to play!  This installation is funded by KaBOOM!, a national non-profit  dedicated to bringing play back into the lives of children, as part of their mission to ensure that every child has access to a great place to play within walking distance.  Councilman Barron has been working extensively to transform the Brownsville Recreational Center and its adjacent park into a vibrant, new area for neighborhood children.

“It’s so exciting to see the concept of creative play actually become a reality in New York,” said David Rockwell, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group.  We are incredibly grateful to KaBOOM!, the New York City Parks & Recreation Department, and Brownsville’s local officials for working with us to make these play opportunities available to the children in this community and beyond.”

Learn more about KaBOOM! and Imagination Playground.

Watch the video here:

Learn more about Imagination Playground

Today, architect David Rockwell was featured in CNBC talking about the Rockwell Group's partnership with KaBOOM!

Watch the video  (Video will be available for 21 days from airdate.)

Learn more about the KaBOOM! partnership with Imagination Playground

An Invitation to Child’s Play: Big Blocks and Wheelbarrows
By DIANE CARDWELL
Published: May 4, 2008
New York Times

It is the playground of the future, already in beta mode in New York City and coming soon to empty lots, day care centers and even suburban backyards across the country.

Instead of monkey bars and jungle gyms, there are blue and white blocks to stack into high walls or to connect as sluices and walkways.

In place of swing sets and seesaws, there are wheelbarrows and rolling carts to move materials about.

And while there are still the familiar elements of sand and water, they are no longer there to be shoveled and splashed so much as turned into landscapes of fanciful design.

The idea began with the architect David Rockwell’s desire to create a more engaging play space for his children — and others — on a parking lot near the South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan. Construction of that playground is to begin in July. But the concept has expanded to include portable collections of Mr. Rockwell’s play gear that can be used in playgrounds around the city, starting with one in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn this summer.

Next, Mr. Rockwell plans to bring his novel approach to cities around the nation through a partnership with the nonprofit playground developer Kaboom.

“Play is on the decline in the United States, and frankly, kids’ creativity is on the decline in the United States,” said Darell Hammond, the founder of Kaboom, which is working with Mr. Rockwell to manufacture and distribute the custom-designed loose parts, which experts say encourage more imaginative, child-directed play than fixed structures do. “We’re betting our future on this concept, that this concept is going to — in generations or decades — make better kids.”

...

Read the full article
Learn more about our partnership with the Rockwell Group and Imagination Playground!

FROM:  Rockwell Group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARCHITECT DAVID ROCKWELL & KaBOOM! COLLABORATE ON NEW GENERATION OF “FREE PLAY” SPACES TO BE BUILT ACROSS THE U.S.

Anticipate Over 1,000 Imagination Playgrounds Across the Country Within Five Years

Partnership to Encourage Play and Creativity – First “Playground in a Box” to be Installed In Brownsville, Brooklyn

May 5, 2008 (New York, NY) – Architect David Rockwell of Rockwell Group and KaBOOM!, the foremost national not for profit dedicated to bringing play back into the lives of children, today announced a partnership to develop and implement a new generation of playspaces across the United States, based on the play value concepts of Imagination Playground, the Rockwell Group’s design for a playground in lower Manhattan. 

The Rockwell Group created Imagination Playground, which will break ground this summer, to embody the concept of unstructured, child directed “free play,” where children direct their own activities, alone and with their peers.  The Rockwell Group has worked closely with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation on the initiative.

“We have always hoped to make the Imagination Playground concept available to communities nationwide,” said David Rockwell, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group.  “We could not be more thankful to KaBOOM! for helping make that dream a reality.”

KaBOOM! has spent 12 years building playspaces using a community build model, where they partner with corporations, foundations and private donors.  Creating opportunities and tools for building playgrounds, KaBOOM! will extend their play platform by incorporating the Imagination Playground model into an expandable collection of its trademark parts to supplement existing playgrounds and form the basis for new playspaces. 

"KaBOOM! believes that play is a matter of national importance.  We can't wait to bring some of the most innovative, yet old-fashioned concepts in play back to children across the country.  By adding sand, water, loose parts, and play associates to what KaBOOM! already offers, we're going to revolutionize your neighborhood playground," said Darell Hammond, co-founder and CEO of KaBOOM!