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Columbia Tap Trail
Developed as part of a collaborative signage system for Houston’s Columbia Tap Trail, this project draws from the corridor’s industrial history, surrounding neighborhoods, and cultural identity. Color, typography, and wayfinding elements were designed to strengthen community connection while creating a cohesive visual language across the trail.
Role: Graphic Design / Signage System
Play
On Tap
On Tap was a community-engaged and interdisciplinary collaboration between students and faculty from the University of Houston’s Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, working alongside organizations and stakeholders throughout Houston’s Third Ward and East End.
Play is an interactive installation created as part of this initiative. Through vbrant modular forms and recycled materials, the installation encourages children and families to physically interact with the space while creating an environment that continuously shifts and evolves through participation. The project also introduced students to site-specific design, storytelling, fabrication, and public engagement while contributing to broader conversations around accessibility, preservation, and investment within Houston’s historic neighborhoods.
The On Tap event and installations supported the broader community effort to enhance the Columbia Tap Trail while celebrating its rich history and cultural heritage. Serving as a catalyst, the event marked a small but meaningful step toward continued advocacy for trail improvements and public investment.
Recycled materials, such as bicycle wheels, were used whenever possible. As a class, we visited the Houston Recycle Warehouse, and students returned regularly as material needs emerged.
For us as students, the project offered an immersive introduction to the power of site-specific design and storytelling—tools for uncovering hidden histories, creating inclusive public spaces, expanding access to recreation and nature, and bridging divides between neighborhoods. Along the way, we honed essential skills in site-specific research, proposal development, design, fabrication, installation, and public engagement within the built environment.
Participants write their hopes for the trail on mini-acrylic tags shaped like houses on the Home of Wishes.
