FUN DA MENTAL

Our objective for the Alloy Block is to create meaningful connections with people by enlivening the site through simple yet impactful artistic interventions. By adding bold color to the fencing, street shed, and plaza—enhanced with lighting and seating—we aim to activate the space in a playful and vibrant way that reflects the energy of this increasingly central location.

Plaza de Pavas is located within the largest, most densely populated district within San José, Costa Rica, which is also its poorest. This project worked with a local developer to negotiate the donation of the site of the intervention from a large parcel, slated for construction, with the goal of placemaking through simple artistic means. A linear mural was applied to nearly three hundred feet of fencing, featuring hand-drawn portraits of community members and the close-knit relationships in the area. A new public corner plaza, backgrounded by shipping containers, facilitates social nteractions that are both planned and spontaneous with tables and seating, palm trees for shade, and a climbing wall.

A lightweight civic pavilion that transforms an everyday plaza into a flexible stage for culture and play. Elevated above the ground, a bold pink platform creates a new public horizon—equally suited for performances, community gatherings, and informal use. Beneath it, a shaded landscape of soft topography and climbing nets invites children to explore, turning the underside into an active playground rather than leftover space. Slender timber columns support a translucent canopy of triangulated trusses, providing shade while maintaining openness and visibility from all sides. The structure is simple, modular, and adaptable—designed as an urban catalyst that reactivates the square, fosters collective life, and blends performance, recreation, and everyday encounter into a single civic gesture.

Located near La Feria Verde in Aranjuez, Parque O2 transforms a neglected railway underpass into a vibrant public landscape. A bold graphic intervention wraps the tunnel in color, turning infrastructure into a neighborhood landmark. The project incorporates air-purifying paint that helps capture emissions, reinforcing its environmental intent. Along the hillside, gradient bamboo poles integrate reflective bands, creating a subtle night presence and extending the experience beyond daylight. Through color, reuse, and ecological strategies, Parque O2 reclaims residual space as a playful, sustainable place for community and wonder.

Gerona Green Corridor reclaims public space from parking and neglected infrastructure, transforming a former rail strip into a vibrant linear park. Prioritizing people over cars, the project introduces shaded paths, play areas, and community gardens within a dense urban fabric. Co-created with residents and children, the corridor fosters connection, safety, and collective ownership—turning residual land into an active civic landscape for everyday life.

Playa Chomo (meaning Connection Beach) is a temporary pavilion located at the base of the Centro Cultural Miguel Asurias, a disused green area in the center of Guatemala City that fronts the national theater. The inaugural project of our self-initiated annual design-build program, the goal of the three-month process was to spark awareness of the potential of the site and to initiate the first step in a long process of civic and cultural renewal. A team of international participants constructed a colorful canopy using recycled elastic ribbons to shelter programmed cultural events, concerts, and resting areas. A gravel pathway runs through a framed interior path, guiding the public from the street to the theater grounds above.