Sensory Lab

Under rePLACE Urban Studio, Erik worked closely with Audible (a subsidiary of Amazon) to design and build a pop-up installation to help revitalize Washington Park in downtown Newark, NJ. Characterized as empty, perceived as unsafe, and lacking a single bench, the park is one of two large green spaces in the heart of Newark’s downtown. The rePLACE team saw an essential need to actively engage the people who live and work in the neighborhood, and designed a “Sensory Lab” that engages all five senses. It is a flexible, modular system that includes tables, chairs, planters, platforms, and light posts. The adjustable system empowers people: children and adults alike have since used the park in a multitude of ways: eating, playing, working, and exercising. Most importantly, the surrounding community felt an immediate pride in, and ownership of, the park. Following design work, the rePLACE team completed the physical installation itself, along with volunteers from the community.