Archinect - News

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...

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...

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 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...