A digital illustration of a landscaped outdoor space with various features including a lounge area at the far end with a circular opening, a ramp leading to a stepped theater, an inclined platform, a bench, a tree planted in a circular planting bed, and stepped seating along the curved edge.

Project

Date

Material
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Function

Team
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LET’S PLAY - 06

2022

Concrete
Sponge Pads

Playground

Etienne Bastormagi
Sandra Richani
Nada Borgi

  • In the wake of the port explosion, thoughts of play were far from most people’s minds. In times of turmoil, play perhaps seems superfluous, a luxury. So why were Sandra Al Rishani ‘99 and fellow architects, Nada Borgi and Etienne Bastormaji, inspired to focus on children’s play space in their post-blast reconstruction initiative Let’s Play?

    Like so many others, on August 4th, Rishani’s life flipped upsidedown. As an architect and expert in urban development, her skills were in high demand from a number of organizations. She wanted to participate; however, grieving her own losses, she struggled to throw herself into these immediate relief efforts.

Three children playing on outdoor climbing bars at school, with two girls in white shirts and gray pants, and a boy in a white shirt and gray pants, surrounded by green trees and plants.
Children in school uniforms playing and gathering in an outdoor playground with red rubberized flooring, some standing and talking, one girl sitting on the ground near a planted area, and others climbing on metal bars.
An aerial view of a courtyard area with trees, a playground, and a building with white rooftops.
School courtyard with children playing, a large tree, and raised garden beds with plants
3D render of a red architectural model on a blueprint grid, showcasing a modern building with open spaces and geometric shapes.
Children in school uniforms playing and climbing on outdoor gym equipment and structures in a schoolyard, surrounded by greenery and trees.
A small outdoor courtyard with red concrete planters, trees, and benches. Several children are sitting and standing around, some reading or relaxing.

  • It also, the Let’s Play team believes, can be a form of resistance - a way to reclaim public space and inspire collectivism, teamwork, and growth across communities.

    As they moved from school to school in Achrafieh, Gemmayze, and Mar Mikhael, Rishani, Borgi, and Bastormagi noticed that, beyond the impact of the explosion, school playgrounds were quite uninspiring and lacking.


    New Climate

    Given the current climate, logistics have been challenging, to say the least. Because of this, the playgrounds are just now being realized in their totality. Seven playgrounds are currently in the works - with three complete and four more under construction.