A day in the abundant life of Gillett Square is likely to feature hula hoopers, skateboarders, boxers, old men playing dominoes, live jazz music, loud arguments between old friends, commuters passing through, and locals stopping to enjoy their lunch or simply pass the time. For the third consecutive year, the STORE London Summer School immersed students in this uniquely rich urban environment during a two-week collaborative design and construction project. The Square is at once our site, classroom and workshop. Students were challenged to identify patterns in the Square’s perpetually shifting social and spatial dynamics. Their observations informed the design, construction and orchestration of a one-day celebration of Gillett Square in three acts, each animated by a creative collaborator, in a programme that is at once playful, inclusive and provocative. Through considered response to Square’s shifting daily patterns, and in dialogue with our collaborators, students aimed to create distinct spatial qualities to match each act of the Gillett Suite: Play, Storytelling, music.