About

September 20, 2013 by sidewestphal

The Studio for Immersive Design and Engagement is a laboratory dedicated to generating ideas and developing solutions through public interest deign process that create opportunities for community engagement for communities, students and faculty. Collaboration between faculty, community and students provides an experience in which participants are learning at all ends of the spectrum of engagement. Learning occurs through interactions with the environment and each other. As with other public interest design laboratories, built projects, events, and temporary investigations in the […]

Categories: Uncategorized

Rudolph Blankenburg Schoolyard

September 18, 2013 by sidewestphal

The redevelopment of the Blankenburg School playground created over 85,000 square feet of space for the kindergarten through 8th grade students at the school. Blankenburg students from grades 3 through 5, the school librarian, and Drexel University students worked in collaboration to transform the cracked asphalt, sinkholes, and rusty basketball hoops of the existing schoolyard into a “Magical Space” for learning, thinking, resting, playing and growing. The Blankenburg School students created pictures and clay models of what they envisioned for […]

Categories: Selected Projects

Morton McMichael Schoolyard

September 18, 2013 by sidewestphal

The proposed playground design for the McMichael Elementary School would create a new outdoor space for the students to play, interact, and grow. The design incorporates the opportunity to create an outdoor space that could be a place for learning and through a variety of engaging play experiences, promote environmental literacy. The playground would include Kompan’s unique, eco-friendly, kid-powered play equipment as well as an in-depth water management plan. It would feature solar powered umbrellas to promote sustainability while creating […]

Categories: Selected Projects

MOBILEREACH: Autism Institute Mobile Unit

September 18, 2013 by sidewestphal

MOBILEREACH is a mobile assessment unit, for under served communities designed by Drexel Faculty and Staff from the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, in collaboration with the AJ Drexel Autism Institute. The AJ Drexel Autism Institute is a Drexel University research institute directed by Dr. Craig Newschaffer that focuses on public health science. It’s mission is to discover, develop and disseminate population-level and community based approaches that will prevent autism associated morbidity and disability and address the […]

Categories: Selected Projects • Tags: Autism, Drexel

Mantua Design Build

September 18, 2013 by sidewestphal

The Mantua Design Build for Mantua Presbyterian Apartments was a 2-term community outreach design build course, led by Professor D.S. Nicholas of Drexel University. This landscape refurbishment consisted of the creation of an urban garden that would create a therapeutic oasis for the senior residents. The goal was to create a useful and aesthetically pleasing space to provide the residents with therapeutic benefits by getting them to enjoy time outside more frequently. The course involved 19 students from various design […]

Categories: Selected Projects