Play is for the people of Tsuen Wan

21 November 2023

The heart of Tsuen Wan perpetually reverberates with technicolour activity.The hammering thud of cleaver through scarlet meat as delivery trolleys clatter by. Men perched around tables debating noisily, interrupted only by shouting waitresses clacking down bowls of steaming food, whilst silent septuagenarians forage for cardboard. Here, commerce dictates pace.

But follow the signs for Yi Pei Square, step behind the façade of the bustling streets, and it is a technicolour oasis that greets you. The ground is blue like a cartoon ocean, and the urban soundtrack sparkles with the sound of children playing.

Here, design dictates pace. And in this instance, that is a product of creative experimentation and collaboration, guided and curated by Design Trust, an initiative of Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, a registered charity in Hong Kong. The organisation advocates, educates, supports, and promotes the positive role of design in our shared land and cityscape. A cornerstone of their multiple activities is a mentorship programme called Design Trust Futures Studio, where experts in their field mentor young professionals to constructively promote the value of the design of public spaces in Hong Kong, the GBA, and internationally.

Design team of Design Trust Futures Studio “Play is for the People” Yi Pei Square Playground

From left to right:
Kay Chan (Industrial & Product Design)
Stephen Ip (Architecture & Landscape)
Jonathan Mak (Graphic & Branding)
Christopher Choi (Architecture & Landscape)
Lead Curator Marisa Yiu (Co-founder, Executive Director of Design Trust)

Photo courtesy of Design Trust

Design Trust Futures Studio’s launch project was Play Is For The People, a study of the ergonomics and physical designs for play, focusing in particular on the many underutilised mini parks around the city.

“This project was seminal for us,” explains Design Trust Co-founder and Lead Curator/ Executive Director, Marisa Yiu, “because it caught the attention of the Architectural Services Department, the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office, and the LCSD.”

The Government, recognising the value of a design solution created through public engagement and collaboration between world-renowned thought leaders and their young mentees, engaged the Design Trust to consultatively manage the overhaul of an overlooked and unloved courtyard space of Tsuen Wan, Yi Pei Square.

“Our team of mentees did observation studies on how people were using the square, what you might do to improve things, what works, what doesn’t work, and how people utilise a public space,” explains Marisa.

Surrounded by densely populated buildings, Design Trust’s approach was to create for the community a ‘Communal Living Room’, with distinct zones for the square’s users. A seating and relaxation area, a play area, and an activity zone, inviting use and engagement, and all bonded and animated by vibrant and colourful design, a refreshing counterpoint to the surrounding architecture. A haven to be shared by the neighbourhood.

Marisa, an architect herself, reflects, “My favourite story is about an eight-year-old local girl who’d been involved with our design mentees in their workshops. When the square was complete and the hoarding came down, she ran in so excited, telling everyone ‘I am a designer!’ Because she saw that her drawings and the plasticene models she’d made at the workshops had made an impact. She knew she had a role in the design.”

Design Trust team is publishing a new book in November 2023 as a creative manifesto of the future micro-parks of Hong Kong.

So should you find yourself overwhelmed by the stimulus of the Tsuen Wan streetscape, seek out Yi Pei Square Playground, and marvel what can be achieved by listening to those who design is meant to serve, the users.

Play is for the people of Tsuen Wan

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