2nd Year | Spring 2024 | IARC 276 | Professor David Barragan | Sequoyah Hills Park Knoxville, TN | University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Located in Sequoyah Hills Park in Knoxville, Tennessee, this project aims to rejuvenate an old playground by creating a playground experience for children and adults alike allowing their imagination to run wild. Individuals will find themselves navigating through a series of hills, columns, and nets in this imaginative playground experience. The final design for this playground came to life through an iterative process of model making and drawing done during the semester. The inspiration behind these designs stem from geometric Native American motifs found throughout the park and surrounding neighborhood.
Site Analysis
Sequoyah Hills Park is located about fifteen minutes from the University of Tennessee's campus. Through the process of researching and analyzing different potential sites throughout Knoxville, the studio as a collective voted Sequoyah Hills Park as our site because of the park's amount of open space inspiring endless opportunities for our installation experiences. After researching and reading multiple Yelp reviews for this park, the need for a new playground in this location of the park was evident and inspired this project.
Design Process
Once the site was chosen, an iterative process of model making for the installation design began. The designs for all of these models were inspired by multiple motifs connected to the Cherokee, a local Native American tribe, found throughout the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood surrounding the park. The images below show the three Cherokee motifs found in this neighborhood and the playground design iteration drawings that were inspired by them.
Cherokee Motif 1
Playground Design Iteration 1
Cherokee Motif 2
Playground Design Iteration 2
Playground Design Iteration 3
Cherokee Motif 3
Playground Design Iteration 4
Playground Design Final Iteration
Along with the iterative drawings, these were the top four physical models that were made for this project. At first, the physical models were crafted out of basswood columns and matboard, but later transitioned into 3D printed models in order to capture the curvature of the hills properly.
Playground Design Iteration 1 Model
Playground Design Iteration 2 Model
Playground Design Iteration 3 Model
Final Playground Design Iteration
Schematic Design
Below are some floor plan, section, and elevation drawings of the Bridging Imaginations playground experience that showcase its curved design, the systems of climbing nets, and unique woven public restrooms on the four corners of the playground.
The rendered views below display how children and adults would interact with the systems of the column grid and climbing nets which form interior play spaces within the playground experience.
This is a axonometric diagram of the Bridging Imaginations playground experience portraying the various materials that would be used within the playground. In researching materials, it was found that most playgrounds today use a EPDM rubber surfacing material which provide a soft, durable surface for children to land on that would prevent injury. Solid cedar wood was selected as the materials for the columns because of its resistance to damage from weather elements over time and would last for decades. Polyester twisted rope is commonly used for playground climbing nets and would also be used to construct the walls for the four public bathrooms.
