Playing children that cool down a city and bring generations together.

This project is a public water-play installation that captures rain, invites intergenerational interaction. Featuring a carousel pump, and transforms a suburban square into a shared, cooling space.

My Role

Concept Developer

Visual Designer

Video Creator

Story Telling

Time

1 Month

Overview:

This project is about how a playful, water-collecting installation can connect generations in a city square in Rotterdam. Centered around a rain-powered carousel pump, the design encourages community collaboration and shared care for the environment. Through iterative prototyping I examined how you can transforms passive public infrastructure into an invitation to play, to connect, and to take care of something together.

3 Primary Problems

1. Sponge City

When rain falls, rain runs off instead of soaking into the city causing floods, stress on infrastructure, and missed opportunities for reuse.

2. Disconnection

The growing gap between generations and lack of shared inviting social spaces that evoke connection.

3. Untapped

Transforming passive public spaces into vibrant, inviting and water absorbing places.

Opportunity

The untapped potential of public space to foster both climate resilience and human connection. Turning everyday interactions into shared moments of care, collaboration, and community across generations.

Iterations

Concept Video

Final Concept

A public square design that collects rainwater and uses a carousel-powered pump to circulate it for community use—watering plants or activating misting nebulizers—creating a cool, inviting space that fosters intergenerational connection.

Reflection

This project taught me how to work with an open-ended design brief and navigate a broad design space. Through field observations and site-specific research in a Rotterdam neighborhood, I learned how to identify relevant issues and translate them into a well-framed design opportunity. Within this framework, I explored how to incorporate sponge city principles to address urban water challenges through nature-based solutions.