While living in Thailand I was fortunate enough to work with a nonprofit organization and for them I designed and built three playgrounds that were sustainable and used recycled materials for Burmese refugee and migrant schools. Building in Thailand was an incredible experience, because not only was I able to see my designs come to fruition, but I knew that these playgrounds were benefiting a group of children that most needed them. Building for the refugee population in Thailand was an eye opening experience and changed my whole perspective on design and architecture. Living and building in Thailand showed me how important it was to build for under-served communities and how the built environment can profoundly alter the way one perceives their surroundings. Thailand helped to give me a direction for my architectural career and taught me that I want to dedicate myself to helping under-served communities around the world.

For Hse Thoo Lei I was allowed to be completely in charge of the design and the construction of the middle to high school playground. For Hse Thoo Lei I was able to design new elements for our playgrounds which ultimately culminated in the creation of the “Castle”. The Castle was the first fully enclosed play space we created that could be used from all angles and could be navigated completely without touching the ground. The Castle ended up taking hours of trouble shooting to get even the simplest of things- such as how to make a swivel out of nuts and bolts- right. I love the vibrant colors on this playground and the way that each child was able to find a new way to play with the space.