Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds

Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen
Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen

HELEN DILLER CIVIC CENTER PLAYGROUNDS

Endrestudio Architects & Engineers

LANDSCAPE
Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture

MANUFACTURERS
Bok Modern, Carl Stahl, KOMPAN, Robert McNeel & Associates, TROPSCoating, UrbanPlay

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Paul Endres

ENGINEERING
Endrestudio

CLIENTS
Trust for Public Land

CONTRACTOR
Bothman Construction

ARTIST
Anticlockwise Arts

EQUIPMENT FABRICATOR
Kompan

PHOTOGRAPHS
Luke Downen

AREA
17945 m²

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
San Francisco, United States

CATEGORY
Public Space, Installations & Structures, Park

Text description provided by architect.

The award-winning Helen Diller Civic Center Playground is a much-needed revitalization of public space in the cultural core of San Francisco, resulting from a design collaboration between Endrestudio Architects & Engineers and Andrea Cochran Landscape Architects.

Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen
Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen

Surrounded by City Hall, the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, and the Asian Art Museum, the plaza is highly visible and active at all hours of the day.

The park focal points during are three expressive playstructures that were inspired by the often mercurial weather patterns of San Francisco: ‘Fog Valley’ lopes slowly along the ground, emerging from a ramp into a ladder and finally twisting into overhead monkey bars in a continuous loop.

Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen
Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen

‘Sky Punch’ spirals up above the park in an open helical sweep connected with a warping blue net, and descends in a graceful slide.

The form of the net creates an invisible boundary in that children cannot fall more than a few inches off the path but it feels completely open, adding to the excitement of play.

Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen
Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen

‘Lenticular Cloud’ creates a layered world of blue mesh nets, where the challenge of finding new paths through to the enormous floating ring creates opportunities for explorative play.

Each structure emerged through a synthesis of parametric formal exploration, circulation strategy, and fundamental geometric principles.

Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen
Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen

In this way the forces are resolved through form rather than solely relying on strength of materials, and the continuities required for stability create infinite loops of paths for exploration and excitement.

The playstructures are complemented by traditional and unique elements, including the standbys of swings and playable terrain coupled with expressive features like the marble wall which conceals and directs exhaust vents from the massive parking garage below.

Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen
Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen

At night the park’s focus shifts to the nearly seventy Pixel Poles: stainless steel posts with built in LED display caps that are centrally controlled and fully programmable.

The poles glow, flicker, and dance, joining in the hum and buzz of an evening at the Civic Center.  In addition, artist Anticlockwise Arts programmed and installed interactive projections which respond to visitor’s movements as the pass through and around the plaza.

Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
© Luke Downen


Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
South Structure - Elevation
Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
North Structure - Elevation


Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
South Structure - Plan
Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
North Structure - Plan


Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds
Site Plan