Playful places: designing spaces that reimagine work, rest and play.

Come to the Mezzanine at the Manchester Central Library on 29th October , 13:00 - 15:00 , to help us create and imaginary neighbourhood that teaches us how to work rest and play in world where work can seem all encompassing.

We will have craft activities for ages 5 – 15 (and beyond) lasting between 5 – 15 minutes. We will be making models of parks and streets that consider how to inspire healthy working lifestyles. There will be the opportunity to design your ideal house and situate it in an ideal street to create inclusive communities and inject playfulness back into our daily working lives.

All work and no play? How can we design spaces that teach grown-ups to have more fun? Honest and diligent work is honourable, but how can we  encourage play and creativity, to foster meaningful relationships and spark world-changing ideas for more resilient, united and inclusive communities? All work and no play? How can we design spaces that teach grown-ups to have more fun? Honest and diligent work is honourable, but how can we  encourage play and creativity, to foster meaningful relationships and spark world-changing ideas for more resilient, united and inclusive communities?

Your ideas and designs will be developed into virtual realities by Architecture students at University of Salford. We would love you to come to the University of Salford to experience your designs in VR at the Degree Show in May 2026. 

Laura Coucill, Laura Sanderson, Kate Stott, Hannah Thatcher. 

We are architects and academics passionate about designing inclusive, sustainable and vibrant spaces for future generations. We believe that to do this we need to inspire future generations to get involved in design and architecture. We want children and young adults to know that creativity matters and to recognise the value of their ideas for building a better future for everyone. Our goal is to inspire the next generation of architects and bring fresh ideas from a wide range of experiences and backgrounds to produce joyful spaces, enjoyed by everyone.  

This is a drop-in session with a maximum capacity of 30 people. Creative making and drawing activities are aimed at ages between 5 – 15 and last between 5 to 15 minutes. Stop by and make your mark on the playful neighbours and cities of the future! 

Children and young adults. Designers and individuals keen to rethink the way our cities, neighbourhoods and streest are designed.