McKenna Square Park, situated along 165th street in Washington Heights, is neither a square nor a park but rather a triangle surrounded by streets. On the west end of the site, where most pedestrians access the site, there is a fire hydrant in the park. In the spirit of “as little as possible,” the intervention uses only four elements: the fire hydrant, play sculptures, hoses, and sandbags to create an infrastructure of play in the park. The play sculptures are for cooling and for climbing. They also act as bike racks, interspecies hosts, seating, and visual landmarks. The intervention can be viewed as a prototype for other parks with fire hydrants. The modular system is adaptable on the site, and can grow, change, and reorganize. In as little as possible, the fire hydrant is an expanded-upon infrastructure that creates a community.
