Play containers for Ukraine

by | 27 Mar 2024 | Outdoor, Schools and playgrounds, Schulen & Kindergärten

Play containers for Ukraine

Playing helps

KuKuk Box

Through play, the traumatised children of Ukraine can at least find some distraction. So play containers are a very important initiative for them.

Children in Ukraine are living through destruction and trauma. Thanks to the support of numerous organisations, new play opportunities have now been created at two locations.

 

The war against Ukraine has had a devas­ta­ting impact, inclu­ding, of course, for the children living there. Wars do not only cause physical destruc­tion, they also affect access to educa­tion and play. Many Ukrai­nian schools and kinder­gar­tens have been damaged or shut down.

Children in war zones suffer from psycho­lo­gical stress and trauma. The sounds of bombs and gunshots, losing loved ones and living in constant uncer­tainty leave deep marks on a child’s psyche.

This is where the importance of supporting initia­tives and aid orga­ni­sa­tions which aim to provide comfort and help — or at least distrac­tion — to children during this diffi­cult time comes into play.

An important example of these kinds of initia­tives are the Kukuk Box play contai­ners for Ukraine.

Supporter

Urban Camp Lviv
Street Culure
Notfall­päd­agogik
Aktion Deutsch­land hilft
Hilti

Game containers

KuKuk Box

The first play area was set up in the yard of a social centre in Lviv, which is temporarily being used for displaced people.

A KuKuk Box is an attrac­tive public and flexible play and meeting place which can be set up in a short time and at a low cost.

Thanks to the support of orga­ni­sa­tions and initia­tives such as “Urban Camp Lviv”, “Notfall­päd­agogik”, “Aktion Deutsch­land hilft” and the company Hilti, new play oppor­tu­ni­ties have already been created at two loca­tions which have been parti­cu­larly affected.

 

The first play area was created in the yard of a social centre in Lviv, which is tempo­r­a­rily being used for displaced people. The city of Lviv is located in the west of Ukraine and is a regular target of Russian attacks.

The second play container is located in the Olek­siyiv district of Kharkiv, an area which has also been heavily affected by Russian aggres­sion. 

Next to the play­ground is a special educa­tional complex for children with hearing impairm­ents, and they now have their own play space.

A KuKuk Box offers adven­ture for all ages. There are clim­bing struc­tures and slides, play­houses and sand­boxes, reading corners and more. 

The fully-fledged play­ground encou­rages a lot of move­ment while, at the same time, offe­ring retreat areas which allow for inten­sive play – and offer protec­tion.

No excava­tion, or concrete foun­da­tions which last forever, are required to cons­truct it. This saves money and time.

The KuKuk Box is deli­vered by truck and can be set up in just a few hours.

Locations

Lviv
Charkiw

Opening

2022 & 2023

Kukuk Box play containers are available in various versions. One of them has been specially developed for use in crisis regions.

The KuKuk Box play contai­ners are available in various versions, and one of them has been speci­ally deve­loped for use in crisis regions.

These contai­ners can also be trans­ported to more distant regions where children are in urgent need of play faci­li­ties due to war, displa­ce­ment or natural disas­ters.

Playing is not a luxury, playing is a vital elixir of life — and a human right.

Photos

Urban Camp Lviv
Street Culure

Text

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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Play containers in Wolfsburg

by | 17 Apr 2023 | Installations & Events, Schools and playgrounds, Schulen & Kindergärten

The attractivisation of the Wolfsburg city centre

Plug and play

KuKuk Box

How the city of Wolfsburg is invigorating its city centre with mobile greenery and mobile play equipment.

Play containers are an increasingly popular way to create a DIN-certified, high-quality and versatile range of play options in a short time and with little effort.

Google Maps

The starting point of this project was the city of Wolfsburg’s desire for “more people to spend more time in the Wolfs­burg city centre”. In order to increase the quality and the length of stay, addi­tional play, rest and recrea­tion zones should be created at suitable loca­tions — initi­ally tempo­r­a­rily.

In order to offer the younger gene­ra­tion and their parents further incen­tives in the city centre and to comple­ment the exis­ting play offers in a targeted manner, a mobile ensemble of play­ground equip­ment became the project’s main attrac­tion.

These pieces of play­ground equip­ment consist of over­seas contai­ners made from steel which, thanks to built-ins made from durable robinia wood, stain­less steel, plexi­glass and nets, as well as crea­tive handi­craft design, are trans­formed into game contai­ners with openings of diffe­rent sizes in the roof and walls, slides, attach­ments and super­s­truc­tures.

With play contai­ners, DIN-certi­fied, high-quality and versa­tile play offers can be created in a short time and with little effort — and not only for schools or kinder­gar­tens, but also for public spaces.

The planner and manu­fac­turer of the play contai­ners is the company Kukuk Box from Stutt­gart.

Client

City of Wolfs­burg

Play containers

KuKuk Box GmbH
Rosen­wies­straße 17
D – 70567 Stutt­gart

With the play containers and the additional greenery, it’s not only the quality of stay in the city centre which was increased, but the microclimate was also improved.

All the measures to increase the quality of stay in the inner city were accom­pa­nied by mobile gree­nery. Depen­ding on the loca­tion and type of use, plan­ters with trees, shrubs or plan­ting columns were combined with the seating and play offers. The selec­tion of plants also takes climate change and the desire for bee and insect friend­li­ness into account.

Several small loca­tions have been created which invite all age groups to play and get toge­ther. With the addi­tional gree­nery, it’s not only the quality of stay in the city centre which was increased, but the micro­cli­mate was also improved.

The project was finan­ci­ally supported by the Euro­pean Union. The total cost was 220,000 euros. The client was the Green Divi­sion of the city of Wolfs­burg.

Address

Porsche­straße
D — 38440 Wolfs­burg

Opening

2021

For the installation of a game container in public space, a free, paved area is sufficient – but the installation can also be done quickly on grass or in a sandy area.

In the simp­lest case, a free, paved area is suffi­cient for setting up a game container in a public space – for example in a pede­strian zone, on a market square or in a schoo­lyard. The game contai­ners are desi­gned in such a way that a fall protec­tion floor accor­ding to DIN is only required for the slide run.

Prefa­bri­cated rubber fall protec­tion elements are supplied and placed toge­ther on site, connected to each other and bordered by a wooden frame. The slide is then simply placed on the pedestal or anchored in it. In this way, the play device can be set up and made ready for use in one day.

If the play container is intended to be set up on grass or in a sandy area, a 30 cm-thick gravel support layer the size of the container set-up area first has to be created. In this version, the slide feet are set up in a concrete foun­da­tion. The subse­quent cons­truc­tion of the play container then also only takes one day. What takes the most time is the hardening of the concrete.

Photos

City of Wolfs­burg
KuKuk Box

Text

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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Meanwhile, the city of Wolfsburg has 13 play containers in different sizes and for variable installation sites.

The coope­ra­tion between the city of Wolfs­burg and the company KuKuk began in 2016. The first play container was intended to make the outdoor areas of resi­den­tial buil­dings more attrac­tive for refu­gees.

Since the length of the measure was unclear, the KuKuk Box was a very easy choice. It consists of modules and does not require any foun­da­tions. Ther­e­fore, it can be assem­bled and disas­sem­bled very quickly and trans­ported to the next place of use.

The play boxes have proven to be a suitable solu­tion for special requi­re­ments.

In the mean­time, the city of Wolfs­burg has 13 play contai­ners in diffe­rent sizes and for chan­ging parking spaces in schoo­ly­ards, daycare areas and public play­grounds throug­hout the city.

They are not only used as an interim solu­tion for conver­sions and relo­ca­tions, but also as seasonal play offers for places which are not usually play­grounds – such as the shop­ping area in the Wolfs­burg city centre.

The play contai­ners are stan­dar­dised, robust and inex­pen­sive.

They are also ideally suited for perma­nent use as a public play oppor­tu­nity, because they are versa­tile, flexible, inex­pen­sive, easy to care for and sustainable.

A KuKuk box creates spaces and surfaces for clim­bing, froli­cking, playing, sliding on the one hand, and a frame with protected and more private areas on the other.

The frame is formed by the contai­ners; through the instal­la­tions and exten­sions a new land of adven­ture is created from it again and again.

No matter where.

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The Ring Umag

by | 4 Feb 2023 | Schools and playgrounds, Sports Centres, Sports Grounds

The Ring Umag

Come as you are

Nenad Marić

A sports centre with an enormous atmosphere.

The project consisted of the reconstruction of the existing, neglected, playground area next to the elementary school in Umag.

This year, in Umag, the project for the sports field next to the Elemen­tary School of „Marija i Lina“ was completed in Umag, which turned the previously abban­doned and unused school sport field into a gathe­ring place for citi­zens, athletes and children.

The play­ground was desi­gned by archi­tect Nenad Marić, and the investor was the Muni­ci­pa­lity of Umag. The project consisted of the recon­s­truc­tion of the exis­ting, negle­cted, play­ground area next to the elemen­tary school in Umag.

The project task included the recon­s­truc­tion of the play­ground space and the trans­for­ma­tion of the surroun­ding envi­ron­ment.
Google Maps

The new “schoolyard” now belongs to the pupils in the mornings, but is open to the general public during non-school hours.

The context is defined by a wide regional road with round­abouts, a school’s sports hall and a spacious green area, while the exis­ting condi­tion of the play­ground consisted of three basic elements: field — sports field area, track — surroun­ding the field and embank­ment — around the track.

The school play­ground is a space intended for children, school­children, but also a space that did not have its users in the hours when classes are not taking place.

Apart from the fact that the demand for a desi­gned outdoor sports faci­li­ties is growing every day (which was espe­ci­ally evident during the period of rest­ric­tions related to the pandemic), we were guided by the idea that space affects people’s habits and that well-desi­gned space can gene­rate new acti­vi­ties of socia­li­zing and meeting.

With the idea of ​​involving citizens, a school playground was designed that should be open and adapted to everyone.

The design of the space was approa­ched with the aim of elimi­na­ting visual and spatial barriers to the context, school and gree­nery, and with the inten­tion of opening play­grounds to the city, while paying atten­tion to stan­dards, methods and prin­ci­ples of desig­ning sports faci­li­ties.

By placing circular elements, with contents for rest and socia­li­zing, all three elements (path, field and embank­ment) are connected. In the circular elements, sports stands, benches for socia­li­zing and elements for athletes’ rest are formed.

So, in addi­tion to the “orange circles” connec­ting the play­ground with the context and repre­sen­ting new entrances to the play­ground across the embank­ment, the circles also become places which open views towards the play­ground and all sports faci­li­ties.

In this way, the play­ground opens and connects with the city and becomes a place for socia­li­zing and gathe­ring of citi­zens, athletes and children.

Nenad Marić has turned a neglected schoolyard into an extremely colourful and communicative sports centre.

The program consists of two basket­ball courts, one hand­ball and one futsal court, outdoor gym, long-distance jumping area, table tennis space and volley­ball courts. Follo­wing the criteria of sports plan­ning and program-defined contents, sport fields are laid in a north-south direc­tion, in order to ensure equal condi­tions for ever­yone to play sports.

Hori­zontal graphics, carpet struc­tures, are also used as an element of defi­ning the space, crea­ting a system of inter­spaces for indi­vi­dual sports.

In addi­tion to gene­ra­ting a pulsa­ting public space and sports revi­ta­liza­tion of the wider city center, the project also creates all the prere­qui­sites for profes­sional and recrea­tional sports.

Project data

Architect

Marić Arhi­tek­tura i Urba­nizam
Šeta­lište Vladi­mira Gortana 38
HR — 52470 Umag

Client

Commu­nity of Umag

Physical address

Marija i Lina
Školska ul. 14, 52470
HR — Umag

Opening

2022

Author

Nenad Marić

Photograph

Marić Arhi­tek­tura i Urba­nizam

Video

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Ludwig Weber School

by | 28 Apr 2022 | Schools and playgrounds, Sports Halls

Ludwig Weber School in Frankfurt

Together not alone

Design: Behnisch Archi­tects, Article: Trold­tekt

Ludwig Weber School promotes communication and openness — including thanks to good acoustics.

Ludwig Weber School is a fun place to learn.

A fun place for primary school pupils to learn: the new buil­ding of the Ludwig Weber School in Frankfurt’s Sindel­fingen district (founded in 1973), which was desi­gned by Behnisch, the Stutt­gart archi­tects, successfully combines a spacious inte­rior with an exte­rior that does not appear outsized.

Apart from the distinc­tive design of the upper two floors, which rise in terraces above the ground floor, the new primary school buil­ding features an eye-catching wood-alumi­nium facade which is both attrac­tive and invi­ting thanks to floor-to-ceiling window and large wooden elements. Moreover, the ensemble fits perfectly into its surroun­dings.

With a floor space of about 4,000 square metres, there is ample room for the appro­xi­m­ately 200 students and their teachers to move around in the free-form, open school land­scape, which stimu­lates open commu­ni­ca­tion while also being easy to navi­gate.
Google Maps

All rooms have access to the surrounding terraces, which serve as escape routes and recreational spaces.

In accordance to the school mission “Toge­ther not alone”, the archi­tects desi­gned a school buil­ding that creates the basis for a vibrant school commu­nity with a diverse range of lear­ning areas, open spaces and addi­tional outdoor “green” class­rooms.

The main entrance leads directly into the heart of the buil­ding. From the foyer, which is flooded with daylight through a large, round skylight, two interlo­cking stair­cases lead to the two upper floors, like­wise airy and light-filled, each with four class­rooms and group rooms.

All rooms have access to the surroun­ding terraces, which serve as escape routes and recrea­tional spaces. The library and the IT depart­ment are located at the centre, close to the stair­cases.
From the school office and admi­nis­tra­tive rooms located on the first floor, teachers are also able to keep an eye on the entrance hall and the play­ground. On the second floor, there is a spacious terrace, which is used as a ‘green class­room’.

To satisfy the highest demands for optimal acoustics in the sports facilities and classrooms, Troldtekt acoustic panels were installed in the new school building.

As a special feature of Ludwig Weber School, the single-field sports hall, which is inte­grated into the buil­ding and flooded with natural light thanks to its large windows, can now be accessed directly from the foyer.

The ground floor also houses the canteen with a fully equipped kitchen. This area opens onto the 4000 m² play­ground, which offers plenty of space to romp, and play as well as suffi­cient room for retrea­ting.

To satisfy the highest demands for optimal acou­stics in the sports faci­li­ties and class­rooms, Trold­tekt acou­stic panels were installed in the new school buil­ding. The acou­stic panels are made enti­rely of the natural mate­rials wood and cement and are thus not just highly effec­tive in terms of sound absorp­tion but also sustainable.
At the same time, the wood wool panels of Ludwig Weber School create a healthy indoor climate, provide effec­tive fire protec­tion, and fit the struc­ture and design of the space perfectly.

A win for all.

Project data

Architect

Behnisch Archi­tects
Rote­bühl­straße 163A
D — 70197 Stutt­gart

Client

Magis­trat der Stadt Frank­furt am Main

Acoustic ceiling

Trold­tekt GmbH
Frie­senweg 4 · Haus 12
D — 22763 Hamburg

Physical address

Ludwig Weber School
Paul-Kirchhof-Platz 13
D — 65931 Frank­furt am Main

Opening

2020

Author

Dipl.-Ing. Archi­tekt Olaf Wiechers
Büro für Archi­tektur  +  Medi­en­dienst­leis­tungen
Klaus-Groth-Str. 1
D — 21629 Neu Wulmstorf

(Adver­to­rial)

Photograph

David Matthiessen
Olaf Wiechers

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Lurup Neighborhood School

by | 26 Apr 2022 | Schools and playgrounds, Sports Halls, Vorlagen, Vorlagen

Lurup Neighborhood School

New ways

Design: Behnisch Archi­tekten, Article: Trold­tekt

An impressive new building that is home to a neighborhood school and a neighborhood center based on the Scandinavian model.

After a good three years of construction, roughly 1000 pupils and 120 teachers moved into the accessible school building.

Global archi­tec­tural firm Behnisch Archi­tekten have desi­gned an impres­sive new build on behalf of the city of Hamburg in Lurup, compri­sing a school and commu­nity centre after the Scan­di­na­vian model.

After a good three years of cons­truc­tion, roughly 1000 pupils and 120 teachers moved into the acces­sible school buil­ding, which includes a sports and multi­pur­pose hall.

The curved new build of some 14,000 m² is elegant, under­stated and welco­ming, and holds 36 class­rooms and specia­list rooms on three floors. The balco­nies that run around the buil­ding and the almost enti­rely glazed facade present an open and trans­pa­rent appearance.
The new build is also home to the so-called Commu­nity School (LURUM), which aims to improve the future pros­pects and educa­tional oppor­tu­ni­ties of the young people of Lurup and their fami­lies beyond school. After the Scan­di­na­vian model, the new commu­nity centre combines educa­tional and extra­cur­ri­cular faci­li­ties for all gene­ra­tions.

Previously the school was spread over three campuses. The fact that all year groups are now under the one roof is a perfect realisation of the school’s inclusive design.

The multi­pur­pose room, canteen, media centre and sports halls are located off the school’s central foyer on the ground floor. The first floor contains class­rooms, the teachers’ wing with indi­vi­dual offices, rooms for school social work, a room for parent meetings, a first-aid room as well as a lounge for teaching staff and a library.
Previously the school was spread over three campuses. The fact that all year groups are now under the one roof is a perfect reali­sa­tion of the school’s inclu­sive design.
Multi-profes­sional teams of specia­list and special educa­tion teachers support the children and young people indi­vi­du­ally accor­ding to their educa­tional needs, help them to obtain their school leaving certi­fi­cates and also promote social lear­ning.

The light-colored acoustic panels from Troldtekt GmbH fit perfectly into the overall design concept and optimize the acoustic conditions, both in the classrooms and in the sports halls.

This inclu­sive, open and inno­va­tive approach is also evident inside the new build. Natural light abounds in the large foyer thanks to the glass facade and a skylight. The broad steps and curved corri­dors create a cheery, relaxed feel.

The corri­dors between the specia­list rooms are divided up and equipped with special seating in such a way that they can also be used by study groups if neces­sary.

Attrac­tive colour accents in deep red and yellow hues provide a vibrant contrast to the light floors and acou­stic ceilings from Trold­tekt.

Project data

Architect

Behnisch Archi­tekten
Rote­bühl­straße 163A
D — 70197 Stutt­gart

Client

SBH | Schulbau Hamburg

Acoustic ceiling

Trold­tekt GmbH
Frie­senweg 4 · Haus 12
D — 22763 Hamburg

Physical address

Stadt­teil­schule Lurup
Flur­straße 15
D — 22549 Hamburg

Opening

2020

Author

Dipl.-Ing. Archi­tekt Olaf Wiechers
Büro für Archi­tektur  +  Medi­en­dienst­leis­tungen
Klaus-Groth-Str. 1
D — 21629 Neu Wulmstorf

(Adver­to­rial)

Photograph

Olaf Wiechers
David Matthiessen

© David Mathiesen

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Arc en Ciel

by | 1 Sep 2021 | Outdoor, Schools and playgrounds, Schulen & Kindergärten, Sports Grounds

Arc en Ciel in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode

One more

Label Archi­tec­ture

How a small school in densely populated Brussels creates space for itself — especially on the roof.

Label Architecture expanded “Arc en Ciel” with four classrooms and new outdoor areas. The roof areas played a special role in this.

Located in the midst of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode — the neigh­bor­hood with the highest popu­la­tion density in Belgium — the already crowded school and daycare centre “Arc en Ciel” wanted to increase its capa­city with extra class­rooms along with new outdoor spaces.

The internal orga­ni­sa­tion allows  to gather an ensemble of smaller func­tions and to turn them into two big class­rooms on each floor. Further­more, the dupli­ca­tion of the exis­ting facade creates a new circu­la­tion, avoids an enfi­lade of classes and provides extra storage space for the pupils.
Google Maps

The existing gap between the buildings was closed by adding a storey with new classrooms.

Moreover, the new facade drasti­cally improves the overall thermal perfor­mance of the buil­ding.

These same tactics are applied to provide more outdoor space for the school. By inser­ting a concrete struc­ture, the ground surface of the play­ground is doubled.

This “table” covers a coll­ec­tion of play­ground equip­ment on the ground floor, while its roof is used as an enclosed sports field.

Label Archi­tec­ture

Arc en Ciel now has some exceptional qualities to offer. Above all, the two large outdoor areas are a clear response to a dense environment.

On the corner, the cavity between the two buil­dings is filled with the addi­tion of 4 new class­rooms. The exis­ting stair­case is extended to giving access to the new level and its roof­sur­face.

Here, accom­pa­g­nied by an impres­sive view on Brussels, the daycare centre finds its new outdoor space and pres­ents itself to the neigh­bor­hood.

We did this.

Project data

Architects

Label Archi­tec­ture
Rue de Flandre 121
BEL — 1000 Brussels

Client

Muni­ci­pa­lity of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode

Construction

JZH & Part­ners

Address

Arc en Ciel
Rue de l’Abond­ance 17
BEL — 1210 Saint-Josse-ten-Noode

Opening

2019

Photograph

Stijn Bollaert

Author

Label Archi­tec­ture

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Park ’n’ Play

by | 30 Aug 2021 | Outdoor, Schools and playgrounds

Park ’n‘ Play in Copenhagen

The roof is on fire

JAJA archi­tects

Park ’n’ Play turns a monofunctional parking garage into an attractive public space.

Park ’n’ Play is a perfect example of how to overcome mono-functional parking garages.

Park ‘n’ Play is a new car park situated in Århus­ga­dek­v­ar­teret, the first phase of a major deve­lo­p­ment plan for Copen­hagen Nord­havn. The neigh­bour­hood is curr­ently under deve­lo­p­ment and will host a mix of new and exis­ting buil­dings in the future.

The starting point for the compe­ti­tion design was a conven­tional car park struc­ture. The task was to create an attrac­tive green façade and a concept that would encou­rage people to use the rooftop.
Google Maps

JAJA Architects transform the gray concrete framework into something friendly, which already radiates warmth and harmony through its materiality and surfaces.

Instead of conce­aling the parking struc­ture, JAJA Archi­tects proposed a concept that enhances the beauty of the struc­tural grid while brea­king up the scale of the massive façade. A system of plant boxes is placed in a rhythm rela­ting to the grid, which intro­duces a new scale while also distri­bu­ting the gree­nery across the entire façade.

The grid of plant boxes on the facade is then pene­trated by two large public stairs, which have a conti­nuous railing that becomes a fanta­stic play­ground on the rooftop. A mere railing is trans­formed into swings, ball cages, jungle gyms and more. From street level, the railing lite­rally takes the visi­tors by the hand, invites them on a trip to the rooftop land­scape and amazing view of the Copen­hagen Harbour.

Park ‘n’ Play is based on a stan­dard, pre-defined concrete struc­ture. The tradi­tional concrete parking struc­ture may appear cold and hard. As a natural conti­nua­tion of the area’s red brick iden­tity, JAJA Archi­tects propose to color the concrete struc­ture red. With this simple measure, the grey frame is trans­formed into a unique buil­ding struc­ture, which radiates warmth and inti­macy through its mate­ria­lity and surface, in harmony with the surroun­dings that are domi­nated by red roof tiles and bricks.

JAJA Archi­tects

The crucial element of this parking garage is the accessible, playable and recreational roof.

The basic prin­ciple of an active car park is the idea of an acces­sible and recrea­tional roof offered to local inha­bi­tants and visi­tors alike. Visi­bi­lity and acces­si­bi­lity are ther­e­fore essen­tial when crea­ting a living roof.

The stair­case has refe­rences to Centre Pompidou, where the move­ment along the façade is an expe­ri­ence in itself. Along the back wall of the stair­case, JAJA Archi­tects worked with RAMA Studio to create a graphical frieze, which, in an abstract, figu­ra­tive form conveys the history of the area. 

The narra­tive can be seen from street level, and followed more closely when the visitor ascends along the stair­case. Along here, alter­na­tive access points to the parking levels are estab­lished. The frieze tells a story of past and future, and becomes a modern tale of the area’s indus­trial history and its future as Copenhagen’s new deve­lo­p­ment by the harbour.

The mix of parking garage, playground and attractive destination makes the project unique.

The red thread is a physical guide through the parking structure’s public spaces, which leads the visitor from street level, where the guide is intro­duced as a handrail on the stair­case. As a sculp­tural guide it almost lite­rally takes the visitor by the hand, and leads along the stairs to the top of Park ‘n’ Play and through the acti­vity land­scape on the roof. 

Here, it becomes a sculp­ture and offers expe­ri­ences, resting spaces, play areas and spatial diver­sity. Acti­vi­ties along the red thread are tradi­tional such as swings, clim­bing sculp­tures etc., but also more archi­tec­tural elements such as fencing and plants, which empha­sises or estab­lishes spaces while provi­ding shelter from the weather.

As such the struc­ture becomes a red thread through the project, and connects the façade, the stairs and the acti­vi­ties on the roof as one single element. Copenhagen’s new car park Park ‘n’ Play already is a social meeting ground and an active part of its local envi­ron­ment – as an urban bonus for locals, athletes and visi­tors alike.   

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Project data

Architects

JAJA Archi­tects ApS
Heim­dals­gade 35, 3. – baghuset
DK — 2200 Copen­hagen N

Client

Copen­hagen City & Port Deve­lo­p­ment

Address

Park ’n’ Play
Nord­havnen
DK — 2150 Copen­hagen

Opening

2016

Photograph

Foto © Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST

Author

JAJA Archi­tects ApS

Video

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Vosges Stadium

by | 26 Jul 2021 | Schools and playgrounds, Sports Grounds

Vosges Stadium in Basel

Get out!

MET Archi­tects

A great example for activating public spaces and rooftop areas in an increasingly dense urban context.

The design of the schoolyard no longer met the needs of today’s schools and pupils.

The Vosges Stadium is the result of the rede­sign of a schoo­lyard used by three schools in the north of Basel.  Instead of reno­vating old plant troughs and foun­tains, MET Archi­tects installed a bold playing field, acti­vating three schools and a roof area.

The Vogesen, Pesta­lozzi and St. Johann schools in the north of Basel form an open block peri­meter around a schoo­lyard with an under­ground gymna­sium and swim­ming hall. The hall, built in 1980 by the archi­tects Gass and Hafner, is spanned by six concrete girders.

Due to recur­ring problems with the water­tight­ness of the ceiling and the layout of the cour­tyard no longer meeting the needs of the surroun­ding schools, the reno­va­tion of the struc­ture and rede­sign of the space was commis­sioned in 2017.

MET Archi­tects

With just a few interventions, MET Architects cleared the schoolyard of structures that had fallen out of time. 

The schoo­lyard was cleared of above-ground struc­tures such as skylights, a foun­tain and plant troughs, as well as the old insu­la­tion and pave­ment. The new floor was insu­lated and sealed to prevent water from seeping in again. On top, a 12 cm thick concrete distri­bu­tion slab was installed for the traf­fi­ca­bi­lity of the surface. The areas adja­cent to the surroun­ding buil­dings were sealed with rolled asphalt.

Laid out with synthetic sports floo­ring, the cour­tyard now offers two basket­ball courts. The blea­chers were dismantled down to their supporting struc­ture, revised and supple­mented with two covered grand­stands for spec­ta­tors, which extend across the entire width of the court and form a stadium-like space that can be used by the schools and the neigh­bour­hood for recess, sports and leisure acti­vi­ties.
Google Maps

The pitch has been visually extended beyond its edge and forms the new schoolyard as a unity, even when viewed from above.

The two roofs, each projec­ting about six meters, feature very promin­ently from the schools. In order to protect the concrete from perme­a­ting mois­ture and do justice to the high visi­bi­lity, the roofs were covered with the same red synthetic surface used for the basket­ball courts.

The playing field is opti­cally extended over the upper floors of the surroun­ding buil­dings.

The Vosges Stadium is a great example for acti­vating public spaces and rooftop areas in an incre­asingly dense urban context.

We did this.

Project data

Architects

MET Archi­tects GmbH SIA
Klybeck­strasse 141 / K 102
CH — 4002 Basel

Client

Hoch­bauamt Kanton Basel-Stadt

Pitch surface

CONICA AG
Indus­trie­strasse 26
CH – 8207 Schaff­hausen

Address

Stadion Vogesen
St. Johanns-Ring 17
CH — 4056 Basel

Opening

2019

Photograph

Ruedi Walti, Basel

Author

MET Archi­tects

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Wettingen Cantonal School

by | 28 May 2021 | Schools and playgrounds, Sports Grounds, Sports Halls

Wettingen Cantonal School Sports Hall

Carved in stone

:mlzd

The Cistercian monastery in Wettingen is a special place. A sports hall has to be subordinate here.

With respect for the historic monastery view, the Wettingen cantonal school sports halls were built underground.

The Cister­cian monas­tery in Wettingen is a cultural monu­ment of national importance. When the cantonal school moved into the monas­tery premises in 1979, the school’s sports hall with a swim­ming pool was cons­tructed on the common land outside the monas­tery area.

To main­tain the histo­rical view of the monas­tery, the sports hall and swim­ming pool were built under­ground, around a deep cour­tyard with longi­tu­dinal sides that provided the adjoi­ning gymna­siums with daylight.
Google Maps

The planned extension of the sports halls built in 1979 was also realised in accordance with the monastic mission statement.

The planned exten­sion of the Wettingen cantonal school sports halls is also required to adhere to this prin­ciple and is thus being deve­loped under­ground. Since the orien­ta­tion and provi­sion of daylight play a decisive role, a linear prome­nade was planned as the starting point for the design, forming a clear and orderly link between the old and the new buil­dings.

All the main uses are either directly adja­cent to this access route, or the prome­nade affords a gene­rous view of them.

The chosen form of orga­ni­sa­tion with linear elements creates a calm and clear impres­sion of Wettingen cantonal school sports halls from the outside. A window strip facing north accom­pa­nies the prome­nade in the vici­nity of the triple sports hall.
:MLZD

The art on the building plays with the metaphor of the rough rock on which the Cistercian monastery is enthroned high above the Limmat and into which the new sports hall was chiselled.

Brin­ging toge­ther the illu­mi­na­ting zone and the spec­ta­tors’ gallery avoids any irri­ta­ting back­light effects when people are watching the sports being played. And, in the other direc­tion, when looking out from the hall, the observer sees a wide relief wall.

The art on the buil­ding is by the Lang/Baumann duo and plays on the meta­phor of the rough rock on which the Cister­cian monas­tery towers above the Limmat river and into which, in the true sense of the word, the new sports hall has been chiselled.

The shadows cast by the concrete blocks change over the course of the day and the year, giving the under­ground observer a feel for the time of day or year.
Google Maps

We did this.

Project data

Architects

:mlzd
Allee­strasse 25
CH — 2503 Biel/Bienn

Client

Immo­bi­lien Kanton Aargau
Depar­te­ment Finanzen und Ressourcen
CH-Aarau

Team

Pat Tanner, Alex­ander Unsin, Andreas Frank, Daniele Di Giac­into, Claude Marbach, David Locher, Julia Wurst, Mari­anne Rüger, Jona­than Anders, Ronja Engel­hardt, Mart Maurer, Belén Jatuff Mathis

Address

Kantons­schule Wettingen
Klos­ter­strasse 11
CH — 5430 Wettingen

Opening

2018

Photograph

Ariel Huber / EDIT images
Brau­er­strasse 45
CH — 8004 Zürich

Author

:mlzd

 

 

Plans

 

 

Photos

Video

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Phone
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+49 172 4736 332

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Play containers

by | 17 Dec 2020 | Schools and playgrounds, Schulen & Kindergärten

Diversity through standard

Play contai­ners on the rise

Adver­to­rial

 

 

KuKuk
”

About

Contai­ners are stan­dar­dised. Play contai­ners have many advan­tages because of this.

Due to their stan­dar­dised form, contai­ners can be shipped to any place in the world for little money. Due to their stable frame cons­truc­tion and their flexi­bi­lity, they can also be used very well as a frame­work and outer shell for a variety of play and leisure faci­li­ties.

Play contai­ners like the KuKuk Box can be used both tempo­r­a­rily and perma­nently — and they are beco­ming more and more common.

Image: Game container in Belin­zona (2020)

Temporary use

When cities and muni­ci­pa­li­ties build or reno­vate (for example schools or kinder­gar­tens), they often need tempo­rary faci­li­ties.  These are usually located on dere­lict sites without child-friendly infra­struc­ture. A play container can quickly provide a solu­tion.

Just as well, the KuKuk Box can be dismantled and reas­sem­bled at a new loca­tion without much effort in case of a move or an upco­ming change of use of a site.

These play contai­ners are even used for events or for shorter periods of time.

KuKuk Box play contai­ners do not require a buil­ding permit and can also be rented on a tempo­rary basis.

Image: Instal­la­tion in Belin­zona (2020)

Permanent use

The KuKuk Box can also be used as a perma­nent, attrac­tive public play struc­ture. This is parti­cu­larly useful if a versa­tile play faci­lity is to be created in a short time and for little money.

Play contai­ners can be placed on all planned surfaces, inclu­ding roofs and car parks. They are extre­mely low-main­ten­ance. Time-consuming and costly expenses for plan­ning, appli­ca­tions, excava­tions and foun­da­tions are comple­tely elimi­nated.

Not bad either: the KuKuk Box can be set up in about two hours.

Image: Tempo­rary event area in Leuven (2020)

Equipment

The play contai­ners offer exci­ting areas for all age groups: There are clim­bing struc­tures up to the roof, roof houses, craw­ling tunnels, balan­cing courses, slides, play houses, seating plat­forms, sand­boxes, reading corners and much more. There is also seating for parents and nursery school teachers.

The KuKuk Box lives through its users. It is equipped with mate­rials such as round, square and sawn timber, fasteners, ropes and paints that allow it to be expanded as desired. This means that schools, kinder­gar­tens and social insti­tu­tions are free to design the play container them­selves.

The fully-fledged play­ground encou­rages a lot of move­ment and also offers retreat areas that allow inten­sive play — no matter what the weather.

Image: KuKuk Box in Iser­lohn (2020)

Design

ISO 668 applies to sea freight contai­ners, which have a frame struc­ture that can be used very well as a support element for the cons­truc­tion of foun­da­tion-free play­grounds. No excavated earth or concrete foun­da­tions cast for eter­nity are needed for cons­truc­tion. This saves money and time. It is also sustainable, of course.

The contai­ners are made of resistant COR-TEN steel. The walls are made of trape­zo­idal sheet steel, the floors are made of plywood.

The finish is high-quality and robust. The hardest woods and weather­proof, rust­proof stain­less steel connec­tions are used. For the fixtures, sapwood-free, weather-resistant robinia wood is used because of its natural robust­ness.

Image: KuKuk Box in Iser­lohn (2020)

Equipment

The slides are made of durable, UV-resistant stain­less steel (V2A).

The nets and ropes are custom-made from extre­mely strong Hercules rope (shea­thed steel ropes). This is a craft still prac­tised by only very few manu­fac­tu­rers in Germany. The mate­rial is charac­te­rised by high colour fast­ness and abra­sion resis­tance.

Coloured Plexi­glas gives the children an inten­sive colour expe­ri­ence. It looks very good, the mate­rial is weather and age resistant as well as enorm­ously UV resistant.

Image: tempo­rary play­ground in Lüne­burg

Safety and sustainability

The KuKuk Box play contai­ners are built accor­ding to the safety stan­dard DIN EN 1176 and are indi­vi­du­ally approved by inde­pen­dent, certi­fied experts (e.g. TüV) for public play areas.

When the play contai­ners are no longer to be used, the manu­fac­turer will take them back and create some­thing new from the mate­rials. Some call it a manu­fac­turer take-back guarantee, others call it sustaina­bi­lity.

Many cities, muni­ci­pa­li­ties and commu­ni­ties that started with the purchase of a KuKuk Box are now owners of several play contai­ners. Such a ” store ” also makes the plan­ning of recon­s­truc­tions or refur­bish­ments much easier.

Image: Primary school in Wolfs­burg (2020)

About KuKuk

The KuKuk Box was deve­loped by an expe­ri­enced team of artists, archi­tects, carpen­ters, metal­wor­kers and educa­tors.

The aim and result of this deve­lo­p­ment were and are inex­pen­sive and sustainable play faci­li­ties of ecolo­gical value, which at the same time meet the highest func­tional and aesthetic demands. Of course, they should also be fun.

This has worked out well. Very well, in fact.

Image: Large area of sand with play oppor­tu­ni­ties

We did this.

Project data

Play containers

KuKuk Box GmbH
Rosen­wies­straße 17
D — 70567 Stutt­gart

Photograph

KuKuk Box GmbH

Author

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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Augmented Grounds

by | 9 Nov 2020 | Installations & Events, Outdoor, Schools and playgrounds

Digital goes analog

Augmented Grounds in Quebec

SoomeenHahm Design

About

Augmented Grounds is a winning compe­ti­tion entry of the Inter­na­tional Garden Festival 2020. It is a land­scape design instal­la­tion, located in the Métis garden, Prince, Quebec, Canada, completed its cons­truc­tion in July 2020.

The design is inspired by tradi­tional Métis sash and the proposal uniquely combines tech­no­lo­gies in its making process which was highly evaluated by the compe­ti­tion juries.

While the expe­ri­ence of the instal­la­tion being highly analogue, the cons­truc­tion process of this topo­gra­phic terrain contri­butes to a new inno­va­tive prac­tice of garden design by intro­du­cing smart cons­truc­tion tech­no­logy using augmented reality.

As the geometry is gene­rated based on a mathe­ma­tical algo­rithm, the combi­na­tion of tradi­tional mate­ria­lity and mathe­ma­tical form surrounded by the beau­tiful forest of Reford Garden provides a unique expe­ri­ence for visi­tors to truly expe­ri­ence the product of colla­bo­ra­tion between human, computer & nature.

While the expe­ri­ence of the instal­la­tion being highly analogue, the cons­truc­tion process of this topo­gra­phic terrain contri­butes to a new inno­va­tive prac­tice of garden design by intro­du­cing smart cons­truc­tion tech­no­logy using augmented reality.

As the geometry is gene­rated based on a mathe­ma­tical algo­rithm, the combi­na­tion of tradi­tional mate­ria­lity and mathe­ma­tical form surrounded by the beau­tiful forest of Reford Garden provides a unique expe­ri­ence for visi­tors to truly expe­ri­ence the product of colla­bo­ra­tion between human, computer & nature.

Cloud

The project utilized Augmented Reality and cloud based digital twin commu­ni­ca­tion plat­forms in order to realize the cons­truc­tion during the pandemic. The project cele­brates the fast and intui­tive commu­ni­ca­tion between desi­gner and maker, utili­zing the digi­tally augmented human labours craf­ting the deli­cate mate­rial on site by wearing AR Lenses.

At the same time, a globally assem­bled team of desi­gners were able to review the cons­truc­tion process through a cloud based digital twin of the cons­truc­tion site, being able to intui­tively super­vise the cons­truc­tion process from far distance and pass on know­ledge and guidance to local crews effi­ci­ently. This enabled the global team of desi­gners and makers to be able to work toge­ther simul­ta­neously in distance during the design and cons­truc­tion process.

Craftmanship

The instal­la­tion also cele­brates human craft­sman­ship. We chose to use colourful rope inspired by the colours and history of the tradi­tional Métis sash, the Augmented Grounds garden takes visi­tors through a playful and colourful rope display of topo­graphy that reflects the pride of Métis culture and iden­tity.

In the garden, visi­tors can walk along the colourful contours of ropes, sit and lie down on the coiled seating, or run up and down on the mounds and the pools.

While the expe­ri­ence of the instal­la­tion being highly analogue, the cons­truc­tion process of this topo­gra­phic terrain contri­butes to a new inno­va­tive prac­tice of garden design by intro­du­cing smart cons­truc­tion tech­no­logy using augmented reality.

As the geometry is gene­rated based on a mathe­ma­tical algo­rithm, the combi­na­tion of tradi­tional mate­ria­lity and mathe­ma­tical form surrounded by the beau­tiful forest of Reford Garden provides a unique expe­ri­ence for visi­tors to truly expe­ri­ence the product of colla­bo­ra­tion between human, computer & nature.

While the expe­ri­ence of the instal­la­tion being highly analogue, the cons­truc­tion process of this topo­gra­phic terrain contri­butes to a new inno­va­tive prac­tice of garden design by intro­du­cing smart cons­truc­tion tech­no­logy using augmented reality.

As the geometry is gene­rated based on a mathe­ma­tical algo­rithm, the combi­na­tion of tradi­tional mate­ria­lity and mathe­ma­tical form surrounded by the beau­tiful forest of Reford Garden provides a unique expe­ri­ence for visi­tors to truly expe­ri­ence the product of colla­bo­ra­tion between human, computer & nature.

Métis

This garden is the Métis­sage of cultural pride and inno­va­tion. The Métis sash is tradi­tio­nally made with the art of finger weaving and draped across one’s shoulder or tied around the waist.

The Augmented Grounds garden repres­ents the Sash through colourful ropes made of twisted fibres that are tightly laid on top of the terrain to create a land­scape of contours that reflects the diffe­rent depths of Métis history repre­sented on the sash.

Analogue and algorithm

While the expe­ri­ence of the instal­la­tion being highly analogue, the cons­truc­tion process of this topo­gra­phic terrain contri­butes to a new inno­va­tive prac­tice of garden design by intro­du­cing smart cons­truc­tion tech­no­logy using augmented reality.

As the geometry is gene­rated based on a mathe­ma­tical algo­rithm, the combi­na­tion of tradi­tional mate­ria­lity and mathe­ma­tical form surrounded by the beau­tiful forest of Reford Garden provides a unique expe­ri­ence for visi­tors to truly expe­ri­ence the product of colla­bo­ra­tion between human, computer & nature.

While the expe­ri­ence of the instal­la­tion being highly analogue, the cons­truc­tion process of this topo­gra­phic terrain contri­butes to a new inno­va­tive prac­tice of garden design by intro­du­cing smart cons­truc­tion tech­no­logy using augmented reality.

As the geometry is gene­rated based on a mathe­ma­tical algo­rithm, the combi­na­tion of tradi­tional mate­ria­lity and mathe­ma­tical form surrounded by the beau­tiful forest of Reford Garden provides a unique expe­ri­ence for visi­tors to truly expe­ri­ence the product of colla­bo­ra­tion between human, computer & nature.

We did this.

Project data

Design

Soomeen Hahm (Soomeen­Hahm Design Ltd)
Yumi Lee (Seoul National Univer­sity)
JaeHeon Jung (KOH SX Studio Inc.)

Project team

Hanjun Kim, Marie-Eve Brais, Justine Valois, Marion Sellier, Fran­çois Leblanc

Physical address

Opening

2020

Photograph

JC Lemay
Martin Bond  
Marie Eve Brais

Video

Hanjun Kim, Marie Eve Brais

Author

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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Construction site

Design

Video

AUGMENTED GROUNDS from Soomeen­Hahm Design Ltd. on Vimeo.

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Coniplay

by | 9 Nov 2020 | Installations & Events, Outdoor, Schools and playgrounds, Schulen & Kindergärten

Pretty safe

Surfaces in water landscapes

Coniplay

About

Safety plays a major role in the design of the surfa­cing around water surfaces in both outdoor and indoor areas. It must be desi­gned so that bathers always have a safe footing.

Slips and falls must be avoided at all costs as even a small, care­less move­ment can lead to a fall with serious conse­quences, espe­ci­ally since bathers, whether children, adults or senior citi­zens only wear swim­wear and are ther­e­fore also unpro­tected by any clot­hing if they fall. Floors borde­ring on water surfaces are ther­e­fore prima­rily desi­gned for safety reasons.

Conica offers a safe solu­tion for floo­rings adja­cent to water surfaces.

Jointless

The surface system Coni­play was deve­loped by the Swiss company Conica AG. Its safe stan­ding ensures that bathing fun in adven­ture and leisure pools, spas and private swim­ming pools is not spoilt by acci­dents.

The product is available in two versions: as the water-permeable version Coni­play AP and as the water-imper­meable Coni­play AI. Both solu­tions are colourful, comfor­table and offer a long service life. They can easily be installed without joints using diffe­rent binding agents.

Bacterial inhibiting

CONIPLAY AP is a water-permeable surface that can be cons­tructed in one or two layers. CONIPLAY AI has a multi-layer struc­ture and is water­proof.

The black granu­late layer is optional for both vari­ants, it serves to achieve any desired fall protec­tion. This is what makes them recom­men­dable.

Sealing

The sealant is also the same for both: CONIPUR 2210, as an anti-slip, silk-gloss 2‑component PUR sealant. Alter­na­tively, CONIPUR 2210 AB can also be used. This sealant is addi­tio­nally equipped with a bacteria-inhi­bi­ting addi­tive.

CONIPLAY AP and CONIPLAY AI are resistant to both chlo­rine and salt water.

Conclusion

Today’s bathing land­scapes are subject to tough compe­ti­tion. Safety and attrac­ti­ve­ness must no longer be compe­ti­tors, they have to be part­ners.

The Coni­play solu­tion combines the neces­sary, the fall protec­tion, with the aesthetic. The mate­rial used allows a colourful design, so that bathing fun can be expe­ri­enced in full all around the water with maximum safety.

We did this.

Project data

Surfaces

Conica AG
Indus­trie­straße 26
CH – 8207 Schaff­hausen

Author

Uwe Schmidt
Indus­trie-Contact AG
Bahren­felder Markt­platz 7
D — 22761 Hamburg

Photograph

Conica AG

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