Bridging Exchange

Thomas Greene Playground ➚ in Brooklyn, NY, serves both as a memorial to a dedicated community leader and activist Thomas Greene (1911–1988), and a place of rest and recreation for people of all ages.

Bridging Exchange is a proposal to redesign the park keeping the community at its center. It is meant to be an exchange of trade, arts, education, and natural resources within the community.

A proposed vision of the park, modeled using Rhino and Unity

Key principles behind the vision

Elastic Exchange
The focus is on fluid spaces, flexible spaces, adaptable spaces. The park is re-framed as an armature with a series of flexible zones and modular structures that support seasonal programming.

Elastic exchange component proposes a multi-storey walkway similar to The High line ➚ around periphery of the park for better access to vistas, increase in surface area of the park for an increase in activity-areas. It also proposes modular programming structures to host trade exchanges and events depending on the seasons and time of the day.

References: Highline Park, NYC, Alto Tâmega Tourism Info Point in Chaves, Portugal

Concept art for the bridge and modular programming structures:

The walkway around the park giving access to the park and the city vistas

Cosy and private ctivity spaces under the bridge

Modular programming that can be used for trade, exhibitions or any similar events, and designed to be suitble for all weather

Park elements designed to complement the look of the classic planks of a park bench

Ecological Exchange
It is about an environment that immerses visitors in nature and provide an ecological community hub of animals and fishes with sustainable water systems and dynamic paths. Utilizing water resources from the Gowanus canal in an efficient way is a major focus.

The downward slope of the park, towards the canal and into the green-space of the park helps with the water utilization and support the aquaponics and park water bodies.

A sustainable water system

Concept art for the ecological exchanges:

Top view of the park's green and blue spaces

on-site look

Educational Exchange
This vision envisions a space that offers pedagogical applications (ie. nature, land history, etc.) and diverse programming that support these applications (ie. art installations, XR experiences, markets, nature-experiences, amphitheatre, etc.).