Inspired by the city’s rich history of aerospace research and manufacturing, Lynwood Mega-Playground brings a dynamic space exploration-themed playground to the heart of the Central Los Angeles city.
Completed in Fall 2024, the playground transforms the Northwest corner of Lynwood Park into a colorful spectacle with super-sized play features including a 22-foot-wide sphere inspired by Saturn’s rings, a 30-foot-high rocket structure, and an 86-foot “constellation walk” meandering through the site. Throughout, the design prioritizes sustainability with low-carbon concrete, engineered wood fiber play surfacing, and structures built with post-consumer recycled materials. The same priorities extend through planting design through drought-tolerant shade plants, native trees, and supportive species for birds, insects, and wildlife.
Capturing Lynwood history in striking physical form, the Mega-Playground serves as an afterschool hub for students, bringing STEM education into the outdoors. To this day, the majority Latinx city plays a crucial role in supporting space exploration technologies—an industry that dates back to the 1950s, when aerospace innovators clustered in the South Bay area.
The project is the latest in a series of transformative open space investments including the SWA-designed Ricardo Lara Park, completed in 2015, and Fernwood Avenue Park, completed in 2023.
Nickerson Gardens Playground
Originally designed in 1955 by architect Paul Revere Williams, Nickerson Gardens is a 1,066-unit apartment complex in Watts, South Los Angeles — the largest social housing project west of the Mississippi. Core to Williams’ vision was an emphasis on shared open space, but its central playground, neglected for years, fell into a state of disrepair. In collaborat...
Shekou Promenade
A gateway for China’s open-door policy, Shekou has revitalized its fragmented and hazardous coastline into a dynamic six-kilometer promenade that masterfully captures the area’s cultural and natural essence.
The promenade repurposes the disconnected former industrial waterfront into a celebrated open space system with new recreation programs...
Riverside Park South
Located on the West Side of Manhattan on the scenic Hudson River shoreline, Riverside Park South is a massive, multiphase project of sweeping ambition and historic scope. Combining new green space, new infrastructure, and the renovation of landmark industrial buildings, the plan – originally devised by Thomas Balsley Associates in 1991 – is an extension of Fre...
Thousand Lantern Lake Park System
Nanhai Citizen’s Plaza and Thousand Lantern Lake Park exemplifies the exciting and innovative opportunities for master planning and urban design in new international communities. The site is located in the newly established city of Nanhai, and consists of a commercial precinct, public parks, and civic buildings arranged around a series of lakes and waterways. ...