inaba williams adds colorful venues to shigeru ban‘s cast iron house playroom in tribeca new york. in any spot where one finds a little bit of room, the architects designed interaction points for the visitors. built-in tunnels, climbable millwork platforms, curved walls with places to hide, recessed nooks, and a slow room complete the interior.inaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorkview of the main space, the tunnel room

all images courtesy of naho kubota

 

 

inaba william’s idea is small gathering spots for focused time with a few people. toddlers crawl around while their parents exchange advice. illuminated custom ecoresin shelves -which are equipped with concealed outlets and data ports for studying- line the nooks and himac solid surface panels -that were site welded- clothe the wall. inaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorkilluminated custom ecoresin shelves

 

 

a ​parent and child enjoy the one-to-one time. ‘with the great migration from offices and schools into home isolation, spaces that are designed to foster human connection can strengthen the relationships,’ adds the studio. in a leftover area on a multi-unit building’s common level, residents are able to get out of their apartments during bouts of cabin fever without leaving the quarantine bubble of their home.   inaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorkthe slow room is lined with felt to dampen sound. upholstered leather lines the seating nooks throughout the space

 

 

inaba williams re-envisioned the playroom by making the room the play object itself. ‘we have completed a series of early development spaces, including a brooklyn preschool similarly located in a leftover area. as the commercial, retail, and residential landscapes reset now that the boring transactional stuff has moved online, there will be more chances to carve out spaces like this one dedicated to people interacting and growing through the relationships they build,’ mention the architects.inaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorkthe seating tube connecting the hallway to the slow room. the main wall is made of himac, a solid surface material. the seating tube is upholstered in leatherinaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorkview from the slow room to the tunnel roominaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorkview from the slow room to hallway through the yellow seating tubeinaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorkeach of the tunnel millwork pieces are designed to be climbed on as well as crawled throughinaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorka wide seating nook overlooking the tunnel room with storage cabinets above. inaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorkthe blue tunnel frames a view from the tunnel room to the slow roominaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorkat the entry there are custom eco-resin shelves for backpacks, coats, and shoesinaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorka seating nook illuminated from above, located along the curved wallinaba williams adds playful pops of color in shigeru ban's cast iron house in new yorka video display is located in the slow room for zoom study calls

 

 

project info:

 

name: cast iron house playroom

architect: inaba williams architecture

location: tribeca, new york

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina petridou | designboom