Children's Play Stations
FAll 2023 | max stockdale
Reading + relax space | flight prep | interactive play rug
Client: Pittsburgh International Airport
Brief: IN TRANSIT /eXPLORING INCLUSIVITY, WONDER, BRANDING, iNFORMATION, SERVICE, WAY-FINDING, PLACEMAKING, TECHNOLOGY, AND/OR SPATIAL INTERACTIONS WHILE TRAVELING BY AIR
research | Concept Development | visualization | branding
Tools: procreate | Adobe Maya | Substance Painter | Tufting
How might we design immersive zones of activity to create an inclusive + accessible airport play-space for a wide range of abilities?
Goal: prepare children for air travel + begin to get more comfortable with travel routines in a magical, educational, and memorable way
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/a6990eaf-355d-4c1b-af64-2450d310c760_rw_1920.png?h=eef5ca563dab84f73774c615c4a7c1ab)
![reading + relax moodboard](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/cd8868f6-7f84-41fc-adcd-dcc77a11ea7a_rw_1920.png?h=09c5b9cad76e43efabe84feb36950488)
reading + relax moodboard
![flight prep moodboard](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/91f182b9-1cf9-4d8f-9c40-37a2e82ae8a6_rw_1920.png?h=99650dd9f00e7284adf88400d307712b)
flight prep moodboard
![interactive play rug moodboard](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/05ccf059-8144-4b7d-afa7-7745505a28b8_rw_1920.png?h=46aed3b5521c8f5e634c2de505d95c7a)
interactive play rug moodboard
Research
“Keeping kids entertained at an airport isn’t easy, especially with flight delays and layovers.” - most parents/guardians
*burn off energy before a long flight
Interview with Greg Russo (director of Exhibits @ Children's Museum)
-parallel play activities + building common ground
-experiences over educational content
-robust system of tech.- easy to maintain/fix
Concept
1. relax space
2. Flight prep
3. play rug
distributed kid’s play areas that cater to different energy levels, age groups, and abilities
1. passive engagement + comfortability
2. shorter experience for younger kids
3. active play + discovery
Reading + Relax Space
modular pebble seating
reading nooks
kids books about the stresses of air travel
modern cloud design
natural light
comfortable seating for parents
integrated charging stations
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/d547e8db-8cf1-42e5-b23a-403f0baaef4c_rw_600.png?h=c5d3070e18e7bffc888e6a89a02ad41b)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/4fac6327-c638-48a6-bb45-be09cd09a391_rw_1200.png?h=a90d325835ef9f63a0b6b4bdb855e046)
![pebble seating](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/2f65898d-10c8-4c9c-b41b-13ce21d5eac4_rw_1200.png?h=7a57b02db8165054bdb289cbca12199e)
pebble seating
![reading nook](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/06272757-7caa-495b-a1c0-715ee51f9dc4_rw_1200.png?h=c29af88151ca5abfeaf2e47968e8f489)
reading nook
![reading + relax](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/50f5b261-4dcb-4758-8f80-fb39989ffd82_rw_1920.png?h=2b5ff6dc11e39b1e274544a07c52dda2)
reading + relax
Flight Prep Station
mock flight experience
custom boarding pass
tactile buttons
turbulence + airplane noises
travel buddy
ages 2-6+
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/7b0649d6-78b1-4cdf-a96f-21fcc8eed6f1_rw_1200.png?h=f8189e786a0a34359d1d988769ebda04)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/62dfb238-1c2b-4d1b-bc88-152775eaf575_rw_1200.png?h=dd5ab0a82bf3327ebf3d4e6aa223529d)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/3c5f0f9b-6f2b-4ae2-9116-766c0e4898ff_rw_1200.png?h=a49b787da3f3ba5ad46dddf3bcf4bb0e)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/e504e673-3df3-4e3a-be8c-12af5737e470_rw_1200.png?h=8a5853ebf7990ae15e2d28530e8e185b)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/3d5e773e-c260-4638-a7f5-522e2a052ceb_rw_1200.png?h=68eca7d5a4a02f652d6c155abb76c2e3)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/6a134e54-5dcf-41d6-87b8-07d9b2b0640c_rw_1200.png?h=3c186a5ddecfea5a7172aff0ab19cfc6)
![button layout](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/36b67457-7ea4-4724-8ca3-ca23fb118a8f_rw_1200.png?h=1b36ae85ea5a0ed3956569c293bcde3a)
button layout
![night version](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/3cc18e51-dcd1-4d97-93c4-05550dd87898_rw_1200.png?h=490ddd9214c638baa84401cd039d77d0)
night version
![station setup](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/d1f197c9-a37f-465a-873d-0d66c6126cc8_rw_1200.png?h=79118319998194026f3d79dfb395a1da)
station setup
window animation
play rug
abstract aerial views of Pittsburgh
tufted rug
midjourney + procreate
animated projections
control tower + slide
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/99314285-40ce-4514-9d39-5b1517c85fb9_rw_600.png?h=a779b98c20739ee866d9e8795c59947b)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/49bff585-4b0e-4023-907f-665a0193e11c_rw_1200.png?h=c09da98afbb489493065e1035ab67ec4)
![city at night](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/5fc98198-1250-41f4-8cd4-8594be46b482_rw_1200.png?h=3780866548a1725ce62993213b1d430a)
city at night
![boats in the river](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/18a36931-2b9f-4281-9ff9-f0cf582508e8_rw_1920.gif?h=6ca841dbd7ab06e9e07b39af93af289b)
boats in the river
![clouds](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/1886b9c0-0238-45b9-9f35-f9711a8ad00d_rw_1920.gif?h=b526d419b4ff750fb9c71ee4a9beb49c)
clouds
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/3de422a9-8e43-4d88-842c-70d9cb033a80_rw_1920.jpg?h=bbac28e92d3fd925009ad7a533787c21)
Takeaways
Diverse Ages + Abilities
Varying Energy Levels
Distributed Experiences
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/38854314-0735-4304-bdfe-35a6c33f05af_rw_1200.png?h=ada1ac219f0a897f70002a8b8b90ed3d)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/afe11d0a-206e-4383-9fd8-8b2c2726f952/9c585be0-af6c-4b38-b768-25ca93bc74a6_rw_1200.png?h=bea9c9ced60c436c3c090e21de3ef9ec)