Making space for children in our growing cities doesn't happen by accident. When the State Library of Queensland’s innovative literacy program needed a new home, we worked together to reimagine 'the Corner' in a visible location with direct access to a new facility for parents and carers. Now accessible from its own front door address – a shady canopy tucked within landscaping on Stanley Place – the Corner functions as an open, indoor ‘plaza’ for play and storytelling, surrounded by smaller reading nooks and a new ‘studio’ for making. The diverse spaces are designed to provide as many play and social experiences as possible, to prompt neurological development through sensory experience and active play. A joyous project to collaborate on, and even more so to photograph. #Brisbane
The transition from outdoor canopy to indoor reading plaza is a clever spatial move. Designing a space that works for both active play and quiet reading requires careful zoning, and the way you've layered the open plaza with smaller nooks suggests a strong understanding of how children actually occupy space.