Archinect - News

Montreal home becomes a ‘playhouse for kids and adults’ by Indee Design

2024-02-14T11:47:00-05:00

Montreal-based interior designers Indee Design have completed what the studio describes as “a playhouse for kids (and adults!)” in the city. Named Atelier Chabot, the scheme saw the transformation of an existing duplex into a single-family home featuring curated furnishings themed around play.

Image credit: Caroline Thibault

“On a mission looking to change the lives of their family, the owners were trying to decide whether to take a trip around the world by sea or to purchase a home,” the team explains. “This project combines both of those dreams, which seemed to oppose one another. For these great travelers, the notion of travel became the common thread of this project, which inspired the idea of creating a space where the inner child can awaken within.”

Image credit: Caroline Thibault

While the beams and brick walls of the original duplex were preserved, the unit was otherwise overhauled to remove overly-confining partiti...

NBBJ and ESI Design's newly renovated Nickerson Gardens Playground in Watts opens

2023-08-21T17:31:00-04:00

NBBJ shares details of its Nickerson Gardens Playground renovation project in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles as part of a grand opening held on August 16th at the site, which forms the center of what is the largest American public housing development west of the Mississippi River.

The project is part of a larger $1 billion redevelopment of the Nickerson Gardens public housing tract that was first designed by Paul Revere Williams in 1955. Along with the 17,656-square-foot renovation, the new life breathed into the site will also include a fitness center, new slides, a carousel, and other brightly-colored children’s play equipment from Kompan.

Project image render courtesy NBBJ.

Completed project build. Image courtesy NBBJ and photography by Ty Cole.

NBBJ designed the project pro bono alongside its East Coast experience design studio ESI Design and with the incorporation of a community feedback process that was led by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA). Red...

This city playground is designed in the shape of the Chinese character for horse

2023-05-31T12:10:00-04:00

Shanghai-based firm 100 Architects has designed a playground in Hangzhou driven by the shape of the Chinese character Mă (马), which means horse.

Graphic © 100architects

Called Mă Way, the park is the latest in a series of projects by the firm that revolve around the concept of the horse for regular client, Dong Yuan. It was developed at the site of a newly built residential development in the city.

Image © RexZou

The architects started by laying out the character Mă in monochromatic, aquamarine green and then constructing the playground around it. The color and shape allow it to be visible and readable from all of the surrounding residential towers.

Image © RexZou

The character’s calligraphic stroke makes it suitable for providing a path or “Way” for fun activities and social interactions. The negative space surrounding the path features pocket plazas for leisure, sports areas, and floor games for all ages.

Image © RexZou

The independent stroke in the character takes the form of a v...

U.S. playgrounds are becoming more unique, accessible, and "dangerous"

2023-04-12T11:38:00-04:00

Playgrounds today are becoming more varied, more accessible, and more customized, according to playground experts. Some, surprisingly, may even be getting slightly more dangerous, at least within the limits of U.S. safety standards, giving American children more opportunity to take risks and push limits.

As reported by Fast Company, the transformation of playgrounds across the U.S. has been driven by the desire for these spaces to reflect the unique qualities of their communities or this idea of “localized play”. The term was noted by Scott Roschi, the creative director of Landscape Structures, a designer and supplier of playground equipment.

An example of this approach can be seen at a playground in Denver’s Paco Sanchez Park, which is named after the founder of the region’s first Spanish-language radio station. Its playground was designed around the theme of sound waves, featuring ramps and climbing structures that form ribbons of waves throughout. The centerpiece is a structure encased in a three-story tower resembling a 1950s radio microphone.

New playgrounds are also getting taller, with more communities in the U.S. requesting climbable structures that give children an increased sense of risk. This approach is more aligned with the European model, where equipment is less cons...

Francis Kéré’s Kamwokya Community Centre debuts in Uganda

2022-11-02T10:00:00-04:00

Pritzker Prize winner Francis Kéré’s firm has shared photos of their just-completed Kamwokya Community Centre project in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

Designed for the city’s informal settlement of Kamwokya, the center hosts a variety of activities and educational resources for residents in partnership with its clients, the Ameropa Foundation and Kamwokya Christian Caring Community (KCCC).

Image by Jaime Herraiz. Copyright Kéré Architecture

“We wanted to give a place of quality and beauty to the people of Kamwokya,” Ameropa’s founder Nicole Miesche said. “A place where they could sit down, take a rest from their daily struggle and dream, a place also where the children could play in a safe and clean environment.”

Photo by Iwan Baan

Image by Jaime Herraiz. Copyright Kéré Architecture

Set on a raised platform to protect against flooding, the program includes two well-ventilated, spatially-flexible buildings, a sports field, and separate sanitary facilities. The build...

The world's first 3D-printed parkour park is unveiled in Prague

2021-10-05T18:21:00-04:00

The world’s first 3D-printed parkour park was unveiled in Prague 11, a municipal district in Prague, Czech Republic.

The project was a joint endeavor between building society Stavební spořitelna České spořitelny (Buřinka), 3Deposition, and the Prague 11 municipality. It was designed by architect and vice chairman of the Czech Parkour Association Daniel Samek.

The park spans a diameter of 14 meters (46 feet) and contains 14 3D-printed elements connected by steel pipes. The elements were printed on a frame printer using recycled concrete, known as rebetong, by 3Deposition, a company founded by researchers from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Brno University of Technology. The printing, which took 10 hours, required 12.5 tons of special concrete mix from Master Builders Solutions CZ.

Aside from parkour training, the elements of the playground can also be used as an outdoor gym and are intended to be used by everyone starting at ten years old. As noted by Buřinka, the advant...

10 new architectural spaces designed for kids

2021-03-19T13:26:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Kids Spaces.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ Kids Barbershop "ByBliss" in Odessa, Ukraine by JK Lab Architects; Photo: Natalia Nagorna

↑ NLL Children's Library in Riga, Latvia by GAISS; Illustrations: Rūta Briede; Photo: Ansis Starks

↑ Playground in the outdoor gallery "Walking in the Clouds" in Suwon, South Korea by EUS+ARCHITECTS; Photo: Myungho Kang

↑ Bookend House in Santa Monica, CA by ORA (Oonagh Ryan Architects Inc.)

↑ Park School in Mortsel, Belgium by Binst Architects; Environmental Construction: TV Thiers – Dujardin Landschapsarchitecten

↑ Peninsula Residence in San Francisco, CA by Richard Beard Architects; Interior Design: Kelly Hohla Interiors; Pho...

Architensions designs "intuitive" indoor playground in Brooklyn

2020-08-25T17:24:00-04:00

New York City- and Rome-based architecture and design studio Architensions has created an interior playground in Brooklyn that mixes and matches visual and formal references in order to create a space that blends "imagination, cognitive development, and aesthetic appeal."

The 875-square-foot project was created for a wellness professional who blends yoga and childcare, and is designed as "an indoor environment for creative, collective play for a small group of children," Alessandro Orsini, Architensions co-principal, explains in a statement.

The play space draws inspiration from great works of children's architecture, including Isamu Noguchi’s “Contoured Playground” and Aldo van Eyck’s Amsterdam playscapes, while also hearkening to childhood memories of "woodland forts, dappled light streaming through trees, and the glow of the sun reflecting off of snow," according to the designers.

Organized as a series of sculptural pavilions overseen by an abstracted cloud installation, the pl...

Exercise parks for senior citizens are popping up in cities worldwide

2019-11-04T15:42:00-05:00

[A]lthough culture does play a role, it is park location, design and amenities that most influence use among senior citizens. “Often older adults feel not welcome in parks that are primarily designed for younger populations,” [Professor Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, a professor of urban planning at UCLA] says. “In other words, parks are not psychologically accessible to them.”

Inspired by the exercise “playgrounds” for senior citizens that are common in China, similar parks are being designed in cities worldwide. The article takes a look at the specific design elements that are needed to make these parks appealing to older adults, as well as why these parks should be more of a priority in urban design.

Risk-Averse Design: What would Aldo van Eyck think of playgrounds today?

2019-11-01T10:28:00-04:00

Going to the park and playing in the playground is a memorable childhood past time. However, with the increase of risk-averse design, have these beloved spaces for children to frolic, climb, and fall become too dull for children? Oliver Wainwright of the Guardian addresses an excellent perspective towards these "risk-averse" play areas, outlining how "architects are taking issue with risk-averse playgrounds full of sluggish roundabouts and tiny climbing frames."

Regarding this specific subject, it's difficult not to think of Aldo van Eyck and his iconic playground designs found throughout Amsterdam. The famed Dutch architect played a pivotal role in transforming Amsterdam's playground landscape for children after World War II.

Image © Aldo van Eyck Archive / Amsterdam City Archive

Image courtesy of WikiCommons

Thanks to Mariabruna Fabrizi of SOCKS, her informative piece on van Eyck analyzes details highlighting his 30 year research and its relevance to urban design for children. Fab...

10 fresh architectural spaces designed for kids

2019-09-27T13:06:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Kids Spaces.

↑ Nook, a new children’s play and learning space in Ballston, VA by Mickus Projects; Photo: Abby Jiu

↑ Kindergarten & Nursery in Linz, Austria by lobmaier architekten zt gmbh; Photo: Kurt Hoerbst

↑ Plainsboro Public Library in Plainsboro, NJ by BKSK Architects, LLP; Photo: Ruggero Vanni

↑ Avenues: The World School, New York Expansion in New York, NY by Eleven of Eleven Architecture; Base Building Architect: Morris Adjmi Architects; Executive Architect: Murdock Solon Architects; Photo: Ernst Fischer

↑ Nakuru Children's Home in Nakuru, Kenya by Orkidstudio

↑ Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA by Koning Eiz...

How Canadian designer Eric McMillan redefined the way we play through the Ontario Place Children's Village

2019-08-01T19:33:00-04:00

Watching the way children used his equipment, often in ways he could never have anticipated, made him more and more certain: play wasn’t a frivolous distraction from learning, but something essential to childhood and indeed humanity. [...] According to his design philosophy, each park wasn’t just a place to jump on a shockingly large air mattress. It was “a place where a child can ask questions of what it means to be human.”

Journalist Nicholas Hune-Brown profiles Canadian designer Eric McMillan, who started out his career as an exhibition designer and was then thrown into the spotlight after he designed the Ontario Place Children's Village in Toronto. Suddenly becoming the expert on children's design, McMillan incorporated elements that aimed to help kids learn through play — which includes helping create the world's first ball pit.

In the piece, McMillan looks back on those years — from the thought process behind the iconic Toronto playground, to how changing attitudes towards playgrounds led to the end of those glory years, to what he thinks should be done with the now-defunct site.

“The key was to build things that sparked interaction, between kids and the equipment, but especially between the kids themselves,” Hune-Brown writes in the piece.

10 new architectural spaces designed for kids

2018-08-03T15:55:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Kids Spaces.

↑ Frederiksvej Kindergarten in Frederiksberg, Denmark by COBE

↑ Act for Kids Child and Family Centre for Excellence in Townsville, Australia by m3architecture

↑ A hat on the tree in Shanghai, China by Mur Mur Lab

↑ Dr. Seuss Playhouse in Grand Junction, CO by Bldg Seed Architects

↑ Primary School in Murteira, Portugal by NOZ Arquitectura; Photo: Fernando Guerra

↑ MARTaK in Loveland, CO by Andrew Michler

↑ Water Pavilion in Ann Arbor, MI by Synecdoche Design Studio

↑ Vestre Fjord Park in Aalborg, Denmark by ADEPT; Photo: Ramus Hjortshoj - COAST

↑ Silverlake Residence in Los Angeles, CA by Laney LA

Click here to see mor...

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Kids Spaces" Pinterest Board

2017-06-23T14:59:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Kids Spaces.

↑ Burntwood School in London, UK by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM)

↑ Broxholm Road in London, UK by Selencky///Parsons

↑ SANDBOXING in Dallas, TX by DSGN AGNC (Quilian Riano, Designer), New Cities Future Ruins (Gavin Kroeber, Curator), Ash Studio (Fabrication)

↑ Hummingbird House Children's Hospice in Brisbane, Australia by ThomsonAdsett; Photo: Alicia Taylor

↑ The Boa Constrictor in the Children's Grand Park-Touch the Story Project in Seoul, South Korea by studio_GAON

↑ Cheetah Mobile global office headquarters in Beijing, China by IDEAL Design & Construction

↑ Chelsea Eco Duplex in New York, NY by Wunderground a...

Touring Danish playground emphasizes multi-faceted nature of play with modular elements + a smoke machine

2017-04-20T13:06:00-04:00

In addition to conceptually representing the inherent creativity of play, this touring modular playground made up of 35 white cubes mounted on safety rubber also features inlaid LEDs and a smoke machine, making it ridiculously cool for its target demographic.

As Stephan Gustin, one of the designers behind architecture firm Gustin Landscape's playground explains, "Kids are like grown-ups – we are all different, and since the ‘classic’ playground design only considers physical play, it is this variation in personality that is a high priority for My Playground. We created a set of ‘building blocks’ that can be configured in several ways to fit different places. We created these white cubes with refined decorations that have the feeling of a 'non-specific' landscape, meaning that you can create your own story, your own drama and your own fantasy. The cubes will then transform and blend into different environments. This could not happen if it looked like a giant ladybug - or classic swing...

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Kids Spaces" Pinterest Board

2016-05-06T19:56:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Kids Spaces.

↑ Nursery in Buhl, France by Dominique Coulon & associés; Photo: Eugeni Pons

↑ Khabele Elementary Expansion in Austin, TX by Derrington Building Studio; Photo: Peter Molick Photography

↑ Swindon Designer Outlet in Swindon, UK by POD Architects

↑ Pleated Inflation in Argelès, France by THEVERYMANY

↑ City Library in Gothenburg, Sweden by Ersèus Arkitekter; Interior Design: Link Arkitektur; Photo: Hundven-Clements Photography

↑ PlaNYC Far Rockaway Park Masterplan and Parks Structures in Brooklyn, NY by WXY Architecture + Urban Design; Photo: Albert Vecerka/ESTO

↑ Studio Eight Photos in Thessaloniki, Greece by INPUT creative studio...

There's still hope: Blighted New Orleans lot will become playground that gets kids excited about architecture

2015-04-08T17:44:00-04:00

Students at several Central City schools soon will have a permanent place to learn about architecture, design and city planning after officials from PlayBuild, a nonprofit focused on architecture education, broke ground Tuesday on a “design playground” in New Orleans. The 2-year-old organization, along with Palmisano Contractors, is converting a vacant lot at Thalia and Willow streets into a space for children to play and learn.

Learn more about Playbuild NOLA (or find ways to get involved) here.

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Kids Spaces" Pinterest Board

2014-11-14T13:38:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the NEW board Kids Spaces.

↑ Blaxland Common Playground - Regional Playspace in Homebush, Australia by JMD Design

↑ Incheon Children Science Museum in Incheon, South Korea by Haeahn Architecture; Photo: Park Youngchae

↑ Concordia International School in Shanghai, China by Watershed

↑ Fladängskolan in Lomma, Sweden by Link Arkitektur; Photo: Hundven-Clements Photography

↑ Upshur Playground in Washington, DC by Landscape Architecture Bureau

↑ Playdipity by db2/ARCHitecture

↑ Stelzhamerschule in Linz, Austria by Kirsch ZT gmbh; Photo: Hertha Hurnaus

↑ Children’s Science Studios in Los Angeles, CA by Ioana Urma (Paint Design)

↑ La Caracola Beach House in A...

Park named after Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch now open in Brooklyn

2013-05-03T16:52:00-04:00

This Brooklyn Heights playground is named for Adam Yauch, an artist, a filmmaker, an activist, and one of Brooklyn’s most influential musicians. Most famous as ‘MCA’ of the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees the Beastie Boys, Yauch grew up playing in this playground, then named State Street Park and later Palmetto Playground, as a child.

“Born and bred in Brooklyn the U.S.A./
They call me Adam Yauch but I’m M.C.A.”
- “No Sleep Til Brooklyn,” The Beastie Boys

NYC Parks & Rec. announced today that Adam Yauch Park, named after the Beastie Boys' late MCA, is now open.

BOARD wins the Second Prize in the "Krajicek Playground Competition"

2012-12-03T13:40:00-05:00

The Rotterdam-based Bureau of Architecture, Research, and Design (BOARD) won the Second Prize with its entry entitled “Het hergebruikte appartement” (“The Recycled Apartment”) in the open competition for “Sustainable Krajicek Playgrounds”.

We took the wish of the competition’s organizers, the Richard Krajicek Foundation (RKF) – to involve the surrounding buildings as closely as possible in the design of the playground - literally and picked a typical apartment from a building in the neighborhood, enlarged it five times, and used it as the ground plan for the new playground. This proposal was based on the conviction that reproducing an apartment from the neighbourhood would make it easier for the inhabitants of the area to identify with the new playground, which would eventually lead to a socially sustainable place and a strong sense of belonging among people.

Are Playgrounds Too Safe?

2012-11-26T15:42:00-05:00

Some child-development experts and parents say decades of dumbed-down playgrounds, fueled by fears of litigation, concerns about injury and worrywart helicopter parents, have led to cookie-cutter equipment that offers little thrill. The result, they say, is that children are less compelled to play outside, potentially stunting emotional and physical development and exacerbating a nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity.

The junk playground model

2012-07-04T20:21:00-04:00

It's curious how much the ethos of the adventure playground chimes with the language of a new era of design today: a "participatory" process, recycled materials, an adaptive product. It doesn't sound like the 1940s. But equally valuable is the zone of exception that the adventure playground represents in the city

Justin McGuirk asks, what happened to playgrounds that give children space? He goes on to examine two recent examples of temporary playgrounds in London by Erect Architecture and the Rockwell Group. Mr. McGuirk also refers to the role of Danish architect Carl Theodor Sorensen and Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck in developing the model of playgrounds as a tool in the development of childhood creativity.

CMYplay by A\V Studio

2012-04-20T17:35:00-04:00

Browsing the Work Status Updates on our sister site Archinect, we recently came across an image of the intriguing structure CMYplay, a proposal of A\V Studio, originally designed for the 3Dimensional Front competition. A\V Studio is an on-going design collaboration between Adam Hostetler of New York City and Virginia Melnyk of Beijing, China.

Find more of Virginia Melnyk's work on her Archinect profile.