Final: SKY Dome

Have you ever constructed a palace out of a chair, a sofa, and a couple of bedsheets? Sky is an environment for children that was designed in partnership with Paula Ring and the University of Texas Child Developmental Center.A make-it-yourself planetarium, SKY's structure is based on the architectural elements of McDonald's Observatory; while it functions as a tool for learning about space, dimensions, color, constellations, and team work. SKY is a modular form and a place for childrens' imagination to turn the shape into a space shuttle or to see animals hunting in the sky.

The assembly of the SKY structure itself is facilitated by color-coded parts and the strategic placement of feeding and receiving ends on blocks. Sky is best suited for kindergarten where at least six children participate in its construction with the supervision of at least one adult.

On Site Observations: SKY Dome

In most of its aspects, SKY was a successful project as children were ready to participate in bringing SKY to life. However, since no visual clues to the end product were provided, one question-”where does this go?” -came up quite often. The color coding and feeding and receiving ends proved to be very intuitive for the children, once the bottom part of structure became apparent.

The tubes were pre-made, however the thin wire inside should be replaced with a thicker material, for safety measures. Also the question stays open to the dome measurements, possibly solutions to lowering the roof and widening the body to avoid the necessary assistance of the supervisors. A thicker material for the covers might be chosen to prevent outside light entering into the SKY.

Process: SKY Dome

The assignment was to create a modular environment for children, and by combining our fascination with stars, the color blue, and the idea of fun learning, Paula and I designed SKY. A couple of trips to kindergartens allowed us to perceive the daily environments that children learned in. A common layout of the room is five game stations, two to three children per station, and one child in the corner on the computer. This observation lead to one of our main goals in creating SKY : to erase the barriers and bring together at least six children at a time.

We designed a spacious form that was a combination of three parts: the base, the dome, and the cover sheets with glow-in-the dark stars attached to the pre-made grid. Each part assumes at least a two-person team participation. Children who prepare the covers can place stars on any fastener within the grid and create their own designs; a book of real constellations is provided to them with the set. Here we were interested in children's experience of the transition from the two dimensional design of plastic static configurations to the sky and glowing forms.

Due to the target audience's age, all individual pieces of SKY were lightweight and safe; the cardboard and wooden pieces were carved and polished in the wood shop, while insulate tubes and silk sheets add to the collection of various textures. When all the participating children come together, they create a sturdy framework, which they can enjoy, enter, and exit at their will; cover up or uncover; be inside a space shuttle or outside in space.