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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Wikado Playground, 2012 Architecture, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2009












I stumbled on the Baunetz Woche article (now corrected, see below) in doing some background on this playground, which they also featured, but which was originally on landzine.

It reminds me that if I go to work veeery early in the morning (which isn't often) I will pass trucks bearing the flightless wings of giant windmills, ferrying them down to the windfarm being planted in the southwest part of my state.  Here, 2012 Architecture, which emphasises reuse strategies,  has incorporated them into a more playful setting. The windmill wings provide a surprising array of spatial types and happily, even in such an artificial setting water/mud play has been provided for as well.  Their re-use strategy extends to the use of fighter pilot cockpit covers atop the towers, and slides repurposed from the previous playground.

"This playground is designed with 5 windmill wings and the existing trees on site as a starting point. 4 off the 30 meter long polyester wings are cut into towers and laying objects. The composition of these big accessible volumes defines the different areas of the playground. Each tower has its own character: watchtower (with two f-16 cockpits on top) slide-tower (with two reused slides from the old play-garden) water-tower and 'apartment tower. In the 'cage' that is defined by the towers and the nets the kids can play football on a floor made of recycled football shoes. Now the wikado system is developed and can be used to generate any size and kind of playground!"

[read an interview with the playground's creators here]

2 comments:

  1. Hi- I just found your blog and find it very inspiring- I am off to read more posts!

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  2. Looking at all your posts another artist came to my mind. Niki de Saint Phalle. I only saw pictures of her playgrounds but I think they look great and must be a lot of fun.

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