Two projects offer ways to play and relax at Union Station

Two dynamic placemaking projects have been installed at Union Station, activating spaces that normally get passed by during daily commutes.

Until September 2, TrainYARD and Blah Blah Blob! will give visitors the chance to explore and play in new ways within familiar spaces .

After a public vote on 25 submissions, Blah Blah Blob! and TrainYARD were selected as winners of The Metropolitan Planning Council's 2013 Activate Union Station Placemaking Contest.

The Metropolitan Planning Council and other sponsors then funded each winning design team $5,000 to implement their plans.

TrainYARD is a lawn created inside Union Station’s Great Hall that invites visitors to play and interact as if Union Station was their own backyard.

The lawn is made of artificial grass and features chairs, a hammock, picnic tables and various lawn games. Stacked newspapers covered with artificial grass create more seating and places to play.

Blah Blah Blob is a spiky, striped nylon sculpture. Visitors can "feed the blob" and enter it on one end.

Once inside, chairs are provided for relaxing and there is plenty of space to explore. (Being inside the blob feels similar to being underneath a giant parachute in elementary school gym class, but with more space to move around.)

Located just outside Union Station at the Fifth Third Center (222 South Riverside), the Blob also hosts events including Blob parties and fitness classes.