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Outside each apartment is a single height row of brick surrounding a planter bed. This gives the current residents no where to sit. Most of the planter beds are in shade, except for the outer edges facing the street and the courtyard. We proposed to build the planter box up to seat height and convert half to a sitting bench. This inexpensive addition of outdoor seating makes the entire space more inviting and comfortable.

Sandbox with concrete pipe. This inexpensive proposal was inspired by my elementary school in Troy, Michigan. On the kindergarten and first grade playground, a parent had donated a concrete pipe, like those used to construct storm drains. This simple tube, planted in the middle of our sandbox, became our spaceship, our escape pod, our submarine, and countless other settings. As such it is a simple, low-cost alternative to expensive playground equipment. The children certainly won't notice! They'll just get down to the business of imagination and play.

Banner system. The double-height walkways leading to the courtyard, being covered, presented an awkward psychological condition. To soften their severity, we proposed installing colored banners, which could be color coded to help the children find their way. In later drawings, we extended these completely across the courtyard, tying the two ends of the space together and giving it a sense of wholeness and cohesion.

By eliminating the perpendicular crossing sidewalks plan, we hoped to eliminate some of the rigidity of the space which felt overly formal and inflexible to us.

Banner system. The double-height walkways leading to the courtyard, being covered, presented an awkward psychological condition. To soften their severity, we proposed installing colored banners, which could be color coded to help the children find their way. In later drawings, we extended these completely across the courtyard, tying the two ends of the space together and giving it a sense of wholeness and cohesion.

This drawing shows a proposal for dynamic banners that move and twist in the breeze.