Participatory Design - Product Design
San Mauricio Park
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Year
2013 - 2014
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Role
Co-Creator
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Place
Bogotá - Colombia
Purpose
Create an space where kids and teenagers who live at the San Mauricio Foundation can discover and train they skills and start building their life-project.
Funding and communications
Design
Context Research
Workshop creation and leading
Community engagement
What is COMParte?
San Mauricio Park is a multipurpose space that aims to promote diverse pedagogical, cultural and psychological processes within the San Mauricio Foundation. Its main goal is to provide spaces and tools to discover and develop the skills of the kids and teenagers who live at the San Mauricio Foundation and based on that joined with a professional team (psychologists, educators and health specialist) to develop a life-project.
Since this kids and teenagers are only under the state protection until the age of 18, the urgency of developing a way of living is necessary and is the core aspect of this project. Here around 320 kids and teenagers from many diverse regions of Colombian can develop a way of learning according their personal situation and start a process of life-project building.
The Design Process
The process was guided by On.Board’s methodology.
18 creative workshops with kids, teenagers, directors, teachers, psychologists and health specialists were held that taught them purpose, tools and aesthetics of the space to be developed collaboratively.
Some of the most important activities that the kids, teenagers and teachers agreed on being essential for this space, were exploration, experimentation and communication. They are a way to contribute to their emotional healing and the construction of a life project, that is why the space was designed to take in mind the promotion of these three actions.
The Result
Indoor and outdoor space with structures that can be adaptable for different purposes. The building has a play center, lab and performance room. The outdoor area has multiple zones where kids can construct their game with mobile pieces.
Skate Park
The first construction phase of San Mauricio Park was one of the outdoor zones. Together with the community it was decided to start with a “Skate park” to encourage collective and sportive activities among the kids and teenagers living at the Foundation.
The process was guided by the On.Board participatory methodology, and was co-created with the kids, teenagers, mentors, and volunteers.
Though visual design workshops lead by the Colombian visual artist “Guache”, the motif and patterns were created and painted. As much of his work, the graphics were colorful and with natural and contemporary elements.
Game never ends!
Ropes and mobile zone is part of the outdoor areas within the San Mauricio Park, this area looked for promoting very different games while using just one structure. Better usage of materials, space and other resources were maximized.
The second phase of construction of the San Mauricio Foundation Park continued with another outdoor zone. It also looked for promoting collective activities among the kids and teenagers living at the Foundation. By using one structure that allows very different game configurations created with ropes and other mobile pieces, here kids and teenagers can create an endless options of games.
The construction process was guided by the On.Board participatory methodology, and was co-created with the kids, teenagers, mentors and volunteers.
