Design as Playground: Exploring Spatial Design Through Playful Practices

This article explores how incorporating game-based formats and playful practices into the design process can inform urban and architectural design. In response to the question “How can we think of design as a playground?,” the article presents an expanded notion of play and delves into its implications when incorporated into the design process. The role of play in design is examined according to three aspects: constraints (facilitating an explorative use of factual or self-imposed constraints), engagement (prompting new types of engagement and authorship through dialogism), and chance (creatively embracing chance). Through a series of case studies, this article investigates a range of possibilities for introducing play into spatial design practice and reflects on how it can serve as a foundation for rethinking authorship in design.