NYC Parks and Recreation selected RGR Landscape to redesign the Marie Curie Playground located in the Bayside Section of Queens. The project, which includes play equipment, swings, spray showers, benches, and adult exercise equipment, represented the first phase of improvements to provide the community with new recreation facilities at Marie Curie Park. Referencing the distinctive name of the playground, the theme of science served as the basis for the playground’s redesign. Two spray showers appear as atoms each containing a large spray head in the center as the nucleus and three smaller spray heads as electrons in orbit. Standard painted games were modified to include opportunities for scientific learning. Symbols of the first eight elements of the Periodic Table replace the numbers in “Hopscotch” and the squares of “Boxball” contain diagrams of chemical compounds. As an inspiration for future scientists, a granite plaque in the playground commemorates the achievements of this Nobel Prize winner.
