Ping Pod | Maria Victoria Macchi

Ping Pod has been collaborating with studioMDA to transform existing retail into recreational spaces for table tennis. All their locations are designed to meet professional standards while also serving as social spaces with lounge areas for people to socialize, relax, and watch the games. Each location’s layout is designed in collaboration with a professional player to ensure each table has ample room for the users to enjoy a singles or a doubles match—a minimum of at least 10 feet by 20 feet of playing area. This ideal space maximizes visibility of the balls in play and provides players with enough space for all game scenarios. To help keep track of the ball in play, lighting fixtures are hung as high as the space allows, minimizing reflection on the ping pong tables and the walls. The new 2,650-square-foot space in Brooklyn is also maximizes flexibility to accommodate different gaming scenarios like community tournaments or individual training sessions. The location has room for four tables: one is in a private room and the other three are in the open playing space. The new outpost is Ping Pod’s sixth location in the city; pods exist in New Jersey, Boston, Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia, with two more spaces opening in Manhattan in the spring.

The link below includes photographs taken by me of the project for the AIA New York "In the News"

https://www.aiany.org/news/in-the-news-215/

Role: Lead Architectural Designer