Cloud Swing is monumental in many ways, but none more so than how the interactive public installation encourages accessibility and play for all. Two years in the making, Isometric Studio set out to prove that accommodating the disabled community in design is a must – not an afterthought. It is good design, not a barrier to achieving it. Cloud Swing includes two wheelchair accessible swings and three plank swings that are suspended from an electric blue, cloud-shaped curved steel pipe canopy on tripod legs. The swings face each other, creating an inclusive gathering space for community and visibility for all.
After multiple proposed locations, accessibility workshops, architectural iterations, and safety tests, the first-of-its-kind cloud-shaped, accessible swing set has been installed at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. Nestled between trees, it’s a space for community gathering, rest, and imagination for all to enjoy.
Isometric Studio also had help from Trina Hazell, an activist and Ms. Wheelchair New York 2018. She began the journey during the design development phase of the project, offering advice on safety and comfort. Hazell was also the first person to test the accessible swing and to ride it at Grounds for Sculpture!
Trina Hazell
Trina Hazell
Cloud Swing was developed with support from the Wellcome Trust Mindscapes program and INCLUDEnyc, the most prominent New York City non-profit dedicated to equity and access for young people with disabilities. The project was engineered and fabricated by Serett Metalworks and installed by Oliver Construction. The installation is the perfect example of how public spaces should celebrate inclusion.
To learn more about Cloud Swing, visit isometricstudio.com.
