ALTAIR’S CORNER TO COURTYARD REIMAGINES PLAYFUL LIVING FOR THE DAVIDSON PRIZE 2026
Altair, led by our Senior Development Consultant, Anna Kadziolka, has teamed up with Outerspace Landscape Architects to develop Corner to Courtyard, a thoughtful and imaginative response to the 2026 Davidson Prize theme: “Changing the Game: Building Play into Housing.” This year’s brief called for new ideas unpacking the challenges facing play today, and seeking new solutions for people of all ages inside and outside our homes. Corner to Courtyard embraces this challenge by creating a modular, scalable and community‑driven approach to playful living. Beginning in the smallest domestic corner and extending into the wider neighbourhood, the proposal explores how play can shape not just physical spaces, but also belonging, wellbeing and community identity. A MODULAR FRAMEWORK THAT GROWS WITH ITS COMMUNITY The submission is built around a 2x2 metre modular play frame, composed of 1x1 metre components, designed to create an immediate zone of comfort and activity inside homes that are often delivered without furniture or floor coverings. The compact L‑shaped frame provides opportunities for climbing, sensory interaction, rest and storage, transforming unused corners into vibrant micro‑play environments that support both wellbeing and autonomy.
From there, the system moves naturally into shared spaces. In thresholds, courtyards or communal areas, the modules can be rearranged into larger forms such as dens or small pavilions shaped by residents themselves. Made from durable, reusable parts, the structure can adapt over time, supporting play across ages and encouraging shared ownership. MEETING THE BRIEF THROUGH EVERYDAY PLAY The Davidson Prize 2026 asks teams to rethink homes and neighbourhoods as places where people of all ages can move, interact and play, not just in set‑aside areas, but throughout everyday spaces. The brief highlights that traditional playgrounds often sit apart from daily life and encourages ideas that weave play into domestic, transitional and communal environments.
Corner to Courtyard reflects this by:
• Connecting indoor and outdoor spaces so play can flow from home to shared areas • Supporting use across all ages • Allowing residents to adapt and shape the structure together • Linking private and public space to strengthen social connections
APRIL 2026 | ISSUE #2
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