place
Lotus Park Community Centre
See Saw Do has been collaborating with VPUU (Violence Prevention Through Urban Upgrading) and the community of Lotus Park to develop a container based community centre.
The facility runs a number of programs and is equipped with an ECD toy library, a youth space, sports facility, offices and a community meeting space. See Saw Do has been commissioned to design various aspects of the community centre including Toy Library & Youth Hub furniture design, an outdoor play space and hand painted murals and signage.
Client : VPUU (Violence Prevention Through Urban Upgrading
Where : Lotus Park Community Centre, Cape Town
Illustration, design and implementation: See Saw Do
Toy Library & Youth Hub Furniture Design
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Part of the Lotus Park project included the redesign of the ECD container space. We were commissioned by VPUU to design and install shelving and furniture for the Toy library as well as a table and crate stools for the Youth space. We developed a coherent concept to be used throughout the space. Inspired by nomadic furniture design and the Meccano toy set, we explored the potential of designing beautiful furniture that can be produced using basic tools. Once the various parts are produced they provide a puzzle set of loose parts easy for assembly.
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The toy library equips various ECD programs within Lotus Park by providing educational resources as well as a facility to run learning programs. Working within the small confines of a container called for space-saving furniture that could be used as both storage and an ECD learning environment.
All of the furniture is made with basic tools & materials accessible at most hardware stores. We used 8mm holes, galvanised bolts, standard 32mm x 32mm battens and plywood sheets. The accessible design aims to educate the user on a simple method of building with the hope of inspiring creative DIY'ers.
We hope this approach will open up the potential to produce and assemble more designs that are inclusive towards the communities it serves.
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Outdoor Playspace Design
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The outdoor play space is situated right in the heart of the Lotus Park Community Centre.
We designed a play structure that encourages both fantasy and active play.
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Murals & Signage
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Our first project at Lotus Park included two murals for either side of the ECD container. These were the first steps towards designing a space that could relate to the children who use it. We added bold shapes, pattern and colour to bring some life to the container walls. At a later date, we added hand-painted Lotus Park signage.
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