Build Architecture Awards

Build Architecture Awards 2015 73 Moneo Brock Studio is an architecture firm character- ized by the intensity of its design focus. We profile this unique design firm and examine their award winning project, Playspace 12 de Octubre. The Studio’s principals, Belén Moneo (Har- vard, 1988) and Jeff Brock (Princeton, 1985), formed their professional partnership in 1993 in New York City after receiving their Masters of Architecture from Columbia University’s GSAPP in 1991. One particular project that the firm is proud of is their work at the Playspace 12 de Octubre, where they worked pro bono with Juegater- apia foundation, focusing on the children’s play area and garden. The project transforms the 800 m2 pre-ex- isting rooftop at the 12 de Octubre Hospital in Madrid, Spain (where 7,000 children are hospitalized every year) into a playspace surrounded by ornamental trees and plants. Belén Moneo says of the project: ”The design was inspired by the children’s draw- ings, which illustrated their ideal playspace. Thinking as children we realized that every element in the garden becomes a potential object of play. We felt that the space had to be more than just a playspace – it had to feel unique for the children, their own, a secret place, a landscape able to empower their imagination, a place where they could dream, where their senses would delight in contact with nature. And, on top of that, it should bear no resemblance to the hospital, but instead create a variety of atmospheres through landscape design” . The project, which was completed and officially inaugurated in May 2015, enables the children inpatients to perform not just a physical activity, but to find entertainment, social interaction, escape and joy, providing them with therapeutic benefits during treat- ment and recovery. Best Healthcare Design Project - Playspace 12 de Octubre Moneo Brock Studio Company: Moneo Brock Studio Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.moneobrock.com Address: C/ BENIGNO SOTO 14, Bajo 28002 MADRID, MADRID Telephone: +34-91-563-8056 Photo: Ángel Alvarez Studio