Page 76 - Winter_2020

The rooftop
before renovation. Photo © BELL

The rooftop playground. Photo © BELL
Department of the Interior Project: U.S. Department of the Interior Child
Childcare Playground Care Playground,
1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC
BELL Architects’ most recent rooftop project is a new playground nestled
into a narrow slot between taller wings of the Stewart Lee Udall Department Architects: BELL Architects
of the Interior (DOI) Building. The playground adjoins the department’s Electrical Engineers: Grotheer
existing indoor childcare center. Previously, participating children had to Playground Consultants: Sparks at Play
be taken to a park across a busy street in order to play outdoors. General Contractor: Meltech
“We wanted to keep the space open,” said project manager Eleanor
Choi, AIA, LEEDapBD+C. “DOI representatives guided us as to what
types of equipment to include, and the target age ranges for the children.
There needed to be a defined area for babies to age 2, then a space for ages
2 to 5, then 5 to 7. We included lots of interactives for babies—things to pull
themselves up on, improving motor function and encouraging creativity.”
If the aesthetic of the playground looks familiar, that may be because
the design team deliberately invoked imagery and graphic conventions
related to the National Park System, which, of course, is a division of the
Department of the Interior. The pervious rubber flooring is mostly green,
suggestive of grass, but with a winding blue “river” running through it.
To protect children from sharp edges on some of the existing masonry
walls, the architects included a low glass fence around the perimeter of
the playground, interspersed with panels depicting colorful scenes from
various National Parks.
The existing roof surface had been covered in irregularly shaped
flagstone pavers, which were removed and reused elsewhere. Other than
that, there were no changes to the original fabric of the New Deal-era
building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lighting, security cameras, and fire alarms were accommodated on new
poles, so that no holes would have to be drilled into the surrounding
masonry façades.
“We also did not want to block views from existing windows facing the
playground, but we added safety film to adjacent windows in case a child
throws something,” Choi noted. “Let’s face it: It’s fun to pick up rocks.”

74 RECLAIMING THE FIFTH PLANE
A playhouse on the converted roof. Photo © BELL