Amasing children environments: Carve - Redesigning The Playground

Corbu's Building Gained A Creature


The Carpenter Centre for the Visual Arts
at Harvard University in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, is the only major Le
Corbusier-designed building in North America.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this
building some time ago, a crazy-looking
temporary puppet theater was constructed
within its sunken courtyard.

Apparently, great engineering and technical
features held this odd little theatre
together, but we are much more fascinated
by its appearance. The theatre resembles
an alien mega-crawley, some sort of an
animal -- perhaps subterranean or even
submarine -- that managed to disguise
itself with AstroTurf as a benign being
but was in fact, a voracious, people-
eating igloo. It lurks under the overhang,
waiting to devour unsuspecting keeners of
puppetry.



French conceptual artist Pierre Huyghe
and Harvard assistant professor of
architecture, Michael Meredith,
collaborated on the structure using the
help of computer technology and a team of
GSD students. For them, metaphorical
identities for the structure included an
egg, a seed, a tumor, an alien spacecraft,
and Le Corbusier’s brain. The structure
was built with 500 white polycarbonate
panels – each unique in shape -- held
together by 2,000 bolts to form a rigid
frame covered in real moss, not its plastic
imitation.

Regardless, we think it is a live creature
as emphasized by the entrance, which is a
soft, flexible, mouth-like opening built so
that it appeared to frame a tree when
viewed from the innards.



The puppet opera performance told the
story of the Carpenter Centre with Corbu
himself appearing in marionette form.
The performance was created by Huyghe
who works with many media forms, from
film to puppetry to “public
interventions.” In 2002, he won the
the Guggenheim Museum's biennial $100,000
Hugo Boss Prize, one of the premier juried
prizes of the contemporary art world.
By Tuija Seipell

Taka-Tuka-Land Kindergaten - Berlin

Yummy! Wow! Ooops! The playful, colorful and juicy Taka-Tuka-Land kindergarten in Berlin evokes a rambunctious reaction. You hear the kids at play. You see the bright colors. You sense the kids are happy.  So it is no wonder that the students who designed and created this funhouse call their approach “sensuous architecture.” Baupiloten is a group of architecture students who during their studies at Faculty VI, Institute for Architecture at Berlin Technical University (Technische Universität Berlin) develop their own projects from concept to implementation under professional guidance. Architect Susanne Hoffmann founded Baupiloten (Bau= build, Piloten=pilot) in 2003 and has headed it since 2004. The Taka-Tuka-Land kindergarten was originally erected as a temporary solution, but with the fantastic Baupiloten approach to the refurbishment, it has become a permanent place for children. The Taka-Tuka-Land is part of the Pippi Longstocking lore created by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi in Taka-Tuka Country is a movie based on one of her novels. The children at the kindergarten and their teachers created collages, models, drawings and ideas based on Taka-Tuka Land with bridges, huts, merry-go-rounds made of blossoms and thrones made of seashells. The Baupiloten students then spent several days with the children observing their daily routines, their schedules and their ways of communication. From this extensive groundwork, the design story for the space was developed. The building itself is Pippi’s old oak tree that contains a lemonade factory. The lemonade breaks through the bark of the tree and flows outside creating padded play areas. The story of the building is a trip through the seven stages of the lemon tree, each facilitating a different activity: The lemonade tree, Glittering lemonade in the sun, Lemonade drops, The lemonade island, Waiting for the parents, Lemonade gallery, The bark breaks open, and Delving into lemonade. Pippi’s most likely verdict would be “Jätte god!” By Tuija Seipell.

Carve - Redesigning The Playground

Ask a child what their favorite subject is at school, and chances are they’ll say recess. It’s the one time during the day when they are almost absolutely free to make decisions for themselves – from who to play with, what to play, and where to play. And as children grow, the social dynamics of who can play where shifts and an age-based pecking order ensues. The Netherlands-based design team at Carve integrate architectural expression into their playground design thereby generating unique play experiences for children of all ages. Don’t let the kids know, however that the Carve team strives to encourage a cognitive process – even during free time. This new equipment and play structures stimulate decision-making, group and continuous play (use of the same equipment in varying way) encouraging children to climb, hang, swing, skate, slide, run, jump, vault, hide. One of Crave’s creation in particular, the wall-holla, has received special notoriety as it was nominated for the Dutch Design Awards in 2006. Thirty children at once can climb, crawl, roll and maneuver through the large fence-like structure. Older children are able to scale the climbing wall or just relax and look out over the domain they’ve waited countless years to control. By Andrew J Wiener.

M-Lab

Forget your traditional definition of an amusement park, Wannado City leaves behind the cotton candy, the solicitors of large stuffed animals, the mindless entertainment and trash. Instead the “city” has redefined child entertainment with aspirational activities, all of which are framed around the question: “What do you wanna do when you grow up?” Wannado City was crafted from the vision of Mexican- born Luis Javier Laresgoiti, who had a eureka moment while watching his daughter “play executive” on his business phone. Laresgoiti, with the backing of several major corporations has crafted a dream world where children are encouraged to take on an adult profession and see where it takes them. The park is located in Sawgrass Mills Mall in Southern Florida. Each venue has its own concentration, such as the Motorola-sponsored M-Lab that focuses on innovation and invention. The M-Lab turns each visitor is given a white lab coat and transformed into an “M-Ventor.” The children are encouraged to work together on a technology-based game to solve a difficult problem. Once they’ve solved the situation at hand, they’re greeted with a congratulatory “Mission Accomplished” banner. M-Lab however, goes far above and beyond the standard protocol for children’s playthings. The space was designed in collaboration with Motorola and Gensler, a self-proclaimed “global design, planning and strategic consulting firm.” The M-Lab lures passer- bys with its façade – clad in stark aluminum and panelite – which contrasts with the surrounding “quaint village” motif. Inside there are seven chambers, each meticulously designed depending on the room’s task at hand. The end result is a realistic series of rooms that embrace each child’s fantasy of becoming the next influential innovator. By L. Harper E-Glue - Kids Wall Stickers We’ve been running into amazing walls recently (not literally, of course, or at least not physically) and this is giving us reassurance that “contractor beige” is not the only wall colour imaginable or acceptable. So, you can imagine the grins on our faces when we discovered E-Glue. The 3 month old French based company started  by designers who create super-fun wall adhesives for kids rooms. The creative duo create all the illustrations and hand-make all the products. They ship worldwide but we see no reason to spoil the kids with such extravagance. We are ordering some for the office. By Tuija Seipel Customisable Cardboard Cot Here's one for parents nostalgic for the retro art of "customisation" - a baby bed made of cardboard that  comes with the implicit invitation for creative mums  and dads to paint it, graffiti it....um, decoupage it. Delivered plat-packed from France, it's an assemble yourself deal (perfect for the IKEA generation who still think living in a converted warehouse is a groovy idea) and apparently ticks off all safety standards. Until, presumably, a small child decides to suck on it. Cute, simple, chic....and soggy. By Sarah W

RAMADA RESORT KARON BEACH, PHUKET (Kids

 Themed Rooms)

Until now, the trend for themed hotel rooms has been limited to boutique and art hotels that are strictly for grown-ups. The recently opened Ramada Resort Karon  Beach in Phuket is one of the few that are taking the trend and making it family friendly simply by creating  fun and magical themed rooms just for kids. The resort features 14 rooms in three different adventure  themes such as the Outer Space Room, the Underwater Room and the Castle Room. These themed rooms are all  connected to adult rooms so that the entire family can stay close together and enjoy the amenities of those special rooms. Besides the cute themed decoration, the kids rooms feature play-stations, DVD players and 32" TV. Games  and movies are themed as well and specifically chosen  for their kid-friendly content. All deluxe rooms and suites are equipped with Kidz-friendly toy boxes, which  will keep the kids busy in the evening and during any bad weather spells. Other venues in the hotel are also themed just for kids, including a 1950's style rock & roll diner as its main restaurant, another dining venue called the Magic Castle,  which is decorated like a film-set. by Billy T.       DRIP BIKE 4 SICK KIDS Lets face it. Being a hospitalized kid sucks. Apart from the obvious physical issues, the mental issues such as  boredom can keep sick children feeling very low indeed.  Design team, Jetske Verdonk, have come up with this simple and fun solution to trailing a drip frame around all day. The Zieken+Huis is a drip-cum-tricycle which allows the pint-size patient to zip around the ward whilst remaining attached to their vital fluids and intravenous  medication. In addition to this three wheeling wonder,  the release of a curtain frame which drapes around the patient's bed has also been launched. The frame allows 'get well' cards to be hung around it,  acting as a decoration for the otherwise sterile looking  beds. by Billy T KOOL KIDS SPACES Cool designs does not have to be limited to spaces used by adults as we see with these unique areas designed to enhance places of learning. Forget the "concrete jungle" archetypal school, complete  with bars on windows. This school's hallways (pictured above) have been inspired by the imaginary landscape of  the Silver Dragon. This environment is created to read like a story book; the further you progress through the hallways, the higher your senses are delighted. With shimmering walls, glowing ceilings and a fantasy feel resonating throughout the architecture, the children engage on a higher social level within the school environment. Traditionally, libraries also suffer from an image problem.  Hordes of books coupled with the 'sshhhh' factor doesn't  make for a very cool environment. By installing colorful interiors such as oversized book sleeves, a learning space such as the library is transformed into an area which kids see as cool, and therefore are inspired to read and learn. A tree-inspired day care center is a far cry from fake grass enhanced playgrounds. The tree trunk is the very  foundation of the center, and as such creates the security blanket for the entire structure. This center evokes a warmth which the youngsters respond to. Dream Blossoms grow out of the trunk and create sleeping areas for the habitants to snuggle and nap in. Above the blossoms sprawls the canopy of the In Lego-bright contrast to the gloomy fate H.C. Andersen  prescribed to his original Little Mermaid (that would be death, no less), today's blond little school-going Danes  are encouraged to do the sort of things for which some of us got spanked. Visual artists have created a school with fascinating interiors that feature high window seating for watching  the world outside; green platforms with round, red holes where discussions can buzz and bubble, and large  upholstered tubes where kids can hide with a good book or spend some time alone. You can do that at  school? Unfortunately, only in Denmark. Children's bookstores, on the other hand, have not suffered by the traditional libraries image problem. Generally, these stores are designed and merchandised to inspire children to enter and purchase. The Kids Republic bookstore in Beijing (pic below) has  taken that concept and run with it. Incorporating the core design elements of a kid's playground, these slipperyslide-inspired-shelves house books in an incredibly fun way. Breaking from the traditional table  and chair reading areas, padded L shaped reading stools are used and enjoyed by tiny readers. Dull lighting is replaced by snakelike fittings that radiate  a variety of colors whilst providing adequate light to read with. The choices for kid friendly restaurants, where both parents and kids can enjoy a meal and an environment which caters to both are rare finds. McDonalds have probably lost count of how many times they have dialed 911 to have a parent rescued from inside a playground slippery tube where they have been stuck  whilst attempting to get their child to come home. In a beautiful Dutch village, 10 minutes out from Amsterdam's centre, a parents dream like, kid friendly restaurant exists. Praq is a restaurant where parents, outerwear and even business people can enjoy a meal and co exist without complaint. Children feel the sense of independence by being seated in a kids area within moms view. There, they can play with giant puzzles, draw, and order from their very own menu whilst seated at their specially designed kids table. The secret to the restaurants success is the use of space. Praq has been careful in separating these eating spaces whilst still allowing a parent to keep an eye on their child. The light spacious room creates the impression of separation, whilst keeping safety in mind. The children's food is so good, they don't need to promote  it by adding in a free toy. Traditional cooking schools have always looked like a giant classrooms full of mini kitchens. A kids cooking school in Japan has broken that mould by having design guru Moureaux create a studio space and new corporate identity for them. The cooking school, which is set in the heart of a shopping area in the city of Kyoto, has created a space which eliminates the intimidation factor which students encounter when entering cooking schools. By seating the class amongst brightly colored decor and sleek table and chairs, the environment feels less like a class room. Here the kids can not only cook in the casual teaching environment, they can socialize and eat their homework too. With U.K parents said to be lashing out a cool GBP 1 billion a year on kids birthday parties, its easy to see that the kids party industry is a gold mine. As children's taste develop, so too does their demand for the latest and greatest (think Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka). For some parents, the age old sleep over is being replaced by a girls night out at Alton Towers Hotel in th U.K. The hotel has it's own children's Sleep over Suite, a theme room which caters for up to six sleeping princesses who can indulge in the ultimate girls slumber party. The sound proof room is perfect for 3am giggling fits and Justin Timberlake blearing throughout the night. The suite is divided into two areas. The party area features an over the top entertainment system, karaoke machine ('I will Survive' - Chipmunk version) mini dance floor and a pink fridge filled with ice cream. The sleeping area boasts chill out beds which connect into one big bed for six occupants, a wall to wall mirrored bathroom which is flowing with pampering products from U.K's leading top brand superdrug (limitless branding opportunities here). At £300 pounds per night (US $560), mom and dad have outsourced the kids birthday party and only have to worry about the drop off and pick up. Offering a kid a lollypop to welcome them into hospital is so 1950's. Today, that sort of a deal just doesn't cut it. Instead of bribery through confectionary, this children's hospital in London has reinvented the concept of infirmary and transformed it into inFUNery. Adorned with cheerful, gently winding hospital corridors which lead to wards which look more like kids bedrooms, the hospital has mapped out themes for each of the wards. From the Seashell Ward located on Beach level one, through to the Sky level, each kids ward uses decor and medical equipment that is colorful, creative looking and non threatening. With a glass atrium dividing the hospital, patients from either side of the wards can look across to see an inviting garden filled with plants, trees and yes, Juggling clowns. KIDS SPHERE HOTEL - Cocoons for sleeping It's the ultimate experience for kids, a night in an alternative universe at the Kids Sphere Hotel in Belgium. Known as the Atomium, a replica of an iron molecule with nine aluminum spheres (built for the World Fair of 1958), the complex has been renovated and updated to include overnight accommodation for childrens dubbed the Kid Sphere hotel - set amongst the fascinating sci-fi exhibitions and original spheres. Kids are entertained by a packed calendar of events including films and there's a restaurant at the top of the structure boasting panoramic view of the city of Brussels. by Billy T FREDDY SAYS Gone are the days when fashion was something only adults cared about. Babies and toddlers are now expected to be on the pulse with what's on the catwalks too. Enter Freddy Says & Rockabye baby, 2 admittedly cute kids label that makes printed t-shirts, including images of iPods and headphones, so junior can look just as cool as Daddy." by Lisa Evans