Hello everyone!

It’s been awhile (24 days to be exact) since we last got the chance to update you on what we have been up to. In case you missed it, in our last blog we were preparing for the annual mid-term Soup Roast review using all the feedback we heard from Halloween to push the project forward.

Well, that mid-term review has come and gone, and so has the soup. 

The missing link

To get ready for the Soup Roast review, the team pushed the pedal to the metal working on all things Smith Park, creating design schemes, new drawings, and a few full-scale material mock-ups. Using the feedback and conversations we’ve had throughout the last couple of months, the team focused our design and research efforts towards the world of children’s play. The team dove into designing of early versions of play equipment using materials from the existing park, earth mounds, and chain link fencing. (We have exciting new uses for the last one!)

It’s all about connections

At the annual Soup Roast, the team was graciously visited by reviewers and long-time friends of the Studio Jake LaBarre, Jim Adamson, Damon Smith, and Tyler Smith who offered up great advice and critique to help push the project to its next destination.

During the two days of conversations and charrettes, we learned a lot about how the new play designs fit into the existing landscape of Greensboro’s parks, how to manage the budget of the project and use it as a design opportunity, and how important the social aspects of a park project are.

What’s next for the team? We are soaking in everything we learned from the final review of the semester in order to fully grasp what direction we are headed. After a quick break to enjoy some apple cider and Christmas cookies, we’ll be right back at it and ready for the new year.  

Thank you all for reading and supporting everything Rural Studio this year. We cannot wait to see you in 2025!