Landscape Architect Creates Community Musical Playground
November 2018
Project: Esquina de Musica
Location: BakerRipley Leonel Castillo Community Center, Houston Texas.
In partnership with the Open Architecture Institute, the project "Esquina de Musica" or "Corner of Music" created by Falon Land Studio landscape architects, has seen a neighbourhood street corner transformed into a bright and inviting community space complete with outdoor musical instruments and a dance floor. It is estimated that 1,800 kids will be able to music-make, jump, hop, spin and freestyle throughout the space annually.
'Esquina de Musica' is an interactive musical sculpture playground for kids at the Leonel Castillo Community Centre in Houston, Texas. The Percussion Play outdoor musical instruments create a durable way for kids to engage in creative and inclusive musical play. The project team wanted to include instruments that were easy to install, sounded beautiful, and were accessible to kids of different ages and abilities. The unique bases for each of the instruments were custom created for the project.
The BakerRipley Leonel Castillo Community Center is located in the near-northside of Houston and provides a variety of services to the community including After School Young Leaders Programs, Senior Services and English as a Second Language Classes.
The project was funded through a Play Everywhere Grant from the KaBOOM! Foundation and Target. KaBOOM! and Target have teamed up to help increase the physical activity of kids and families in communities across the USA. The Play Everywhere Challenge, powered by Target, calls for community members to re-imagine where play can happen— on sidewalks, in vacant lots, at bus stops, in open streets and beyond - and awards grants to support such projects to encourage play in unexpected places and create more opportunities for kids to get the play they need to thrive.
Project Manager Falon Mihalic told us "The kids experience so much joy when interacting with the instruments. You can see it in their faces that they are delighted."
Partnerships: Falon Land Studio, Open Architecture Houston, BakerRipley, Greater Northside Management District, Leonel Castillo Community Center, Percussion Play
FalonLand Studio LLC is a landscape architecture and public art firm that strives to design places that enliven communities and connect people to the natural world. Falon Land was founded by Falon Mihalic, PLA, ASLA - an award-winning landscape architect and professional artist.
The BakerRipley organization has centers and schools dotted across Houston which provide a wide range of community-based programs that benefit youth, families and seniors.