NYCHA Post-Sandy Playgrounds
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, recreation areas were substantially destroyed at several NYCHA campuses. Through strategic design moves that responded to community needs—including multigenerational amenities and expanded greenspace—Grain created a blueprint for open spaces at NYCHA that delivers a big impact on a constrained FEMA budget.
Grain transformed the look, feel, and functionality of open spaces at six NYCHA sites through cost-effective designs such as removing fences, introducing bold colors and patterns, and using simple materials creatively.
Grain demonstrated that successful public spaces don’t need to be costly—they need to be thoughtful, representative of community needs, and use precision design. This project set a precedent for what’s possible across NYCHA campuses, and led to NYCHA’s Open Space Master Plan.
The result is a series of bespoke play spaces catered to different age groups, including early childhood play areas, community gardens, shaded seating for adults, and new “central green” platforms for multi-use programming.
