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Responding to contemporary conversations surrounding social and environmental
sustainability as well as the concept of universal childcare, Work Hard, Play Hard, offers a speculative vision for a new childcare center and office building in Jackson Heights, Queens. The project integrates childcare with the workplace through the Community Land Trust model which employs collective ownership to support affordable community services. Throughout the design, a series of subtractions from the building footprint return valuable outdoor public space to the neighborhood, offer an array of green play spaces for users of all ages, and promote a strong relationship with a diverse streetscape. By bridging the office environment with childcare through a single design, a new structure is introduced to support children, working families, and care providers within Jackson Heights as it continues to address the challenges of gentrification and affordability.