A • FRAME

A•Frame is inspired by the idea that everyday furniture for adults has the possibility to take on an entirely new life for kids; dining tables become horse stables, chairs become track hurdles, and the underside of bleachers become climbing gyms. The design for A•Frame began with a simply constructed bench structure, conceived as a place of rest, where parents could enjoy the natural environment of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and children could play. Through many iterations of design, the structure has become much more. It is not only a bench, but also a fort, a stage, a tunnel and a climbing wall. It is a versatile playground that encourages children and adults to imagine new ways of interacting with nature. A•Frame’s simple structure and transparency allows it to blend elegantly into the landscape of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, while sitting lightly on the ground. The two colors selected for A•Frame, yellow and blue, are painted on either side of the frame members, giving the appearance of a single color from the end elevations, but a blending of colors from farther away. This effect, and the colors chosen, are inspired by fields of Texas wildflowers.