Play / Ground

Play/Ground transforms an underutilized parking lot at Chapel and College Streets in New Haven into a playful urban landscape that engages the site’s layered history. Using fire insurance maps and GIS, the project traces past architectures to generate a grid of tiles, each marking moments of tension between built and unbuilt land. These tiles shape the site plan, introducing subtle reliefs into the earth. The structure itself mirrors this precarious layering, stacking masses to create a dynamic circulation system. By inviting the community to engage with these histories through play, Play/Ground offers a new framework for acknowledging, preserving, and reimagining urban land.