Design Students Construct Giant Swing in Front of Hamilton Hall

Students re-define use of public space as part of annual 'PARK(ing) Day Philadelphia' event

School of Design juniors in Master Lecturer Alex Gilliam’s Applied Design Lab class participated in PARK(ing) Day Philadelphia on September 16 by constructing a giant swing within a parking space in front of Hamilton Hall on the Avenue of the Arts. The project was part of the annual city-wide event that "re-imagines the possibilities of 170 square feet of public space."

Watch a video of the swing being constructed >>

Participating students included Daniel Bier ’18 (Industrial Design), Laura Billie ’18 (Industrial Design), Chris Franco ’18 (Graphic Design), Connor McAllister ’18 (Industrial Design) and Casey Gwardyak ’18 (Industrial Design).

The swing set was built in response to requests from passersby on South Broad Street gathered by the students over the course of two days, with research consisting of prototyping and interviews. A woman who the team had interviewed three weeks ago walked by the installation that day, exclaiming, “You built my idea. I can't believe you built my idea. That's my idea!!”

Now in its ninth year, PARK(ing) Day celebrates parks and other public spaces in cities across the country and raises awareness of the need for more pedestrian-friendly spaces in our urban areas. Over the past eight years, almost 300 temporary parks have been created by non-profit institutions, community development organizations, academic institutions and private companies throughout Philadelphia.