Venice Pop Up Park
OUTDOOR CO-WORKING SPACE
Turning an empty lot into a multi-purposeful community space.
2015
OVERVIEW
Our team built the entire park by hand - which features an interactive wall, a book exchange, free wifi, a mural on the outside fence, built-in stages and seating, as well as some modular features. Stackable milk crates become tables and chairs, and the fence folds down into tables and bar tops.
After finalizing the space and decorating, we launched the park website (no longer active) and open source instructions for the fence.
The Venice Pop Up Park was created to be a playful and useful community space on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Los Angeles. During my residency at 72U, we were presented with the opportunity to turn a 1500 sq. ft. lot into a community gathering spot. The space is open daily and can also be rented out for private, nonprofit events. What started as an empty lot is now being used for hanging out, getting work done, entertainment and special events.
ROLE & CONTRIBUTIONS
As project manager, I led a team of six creatives of different backgrounds through research, ideation, design, prototyping, materials sourcing, construction, branding and marketing of the park over a two month period.
PROCESS
RESEARCH
During a TEDx Venice Event, residents of Venice Beach were polled to find out what the local community most often does on the street that the lot was on. After gathering this information, they took a vote on what they would be most excited to see built in this space.
DESIGN & BUILD
And finally, we threw a grand opening party to debut it to the public. It was amazing to stand back and watch the park fill up with people after all of the long hours and hard work that we poured into it. It's gratifying to turn ideas in your head into something that's real and right in front of you, and then be able to share it with others.
Press: NOTCOT, Adweek, The Argonaut
