a+u 2026:05 Feature: Spaces for Play
Content
a+u’s May issue highlights ways that architects have inserted spaces for play into the built environment – for the enjoyment of both children and adults. Play is rarely a priority in urban design, a matter highlighted by the photo essay Tracing Van Eyck, which notes that of the 700 playgrounds Aldo van Eyck designed for Amsterdam in the aftermath of World War II, fewer than 20 remain. Projects such as Nami Play Pavilion demonstrate how quick flexible solutions can enhance large-scale residential projects, while projects such as GiganteBlu activate urban heritage to foster lively new experiences. Variety in material is an important factor in the built environment, as evidenced by Pod for Happiness, which uses locally sourced material to create an embracing form that reflects the ongoing vitality of the local community, juxtaposed with Boulder Park, which uses 3D printing technology to experiment with organic morphology. Projects such as Rita Lee Park breathe new life into legacy projects that are at risk of falling into disrepair, while projects such as Color Pit are actions of urban repair. Spaces for play thus emerge as invitations for the imaginations of not only the children who will use them, but also for the designers and builders entrusted with their creation.
Tracing Van Eyck
studio dmau
GiganteBlu
expandstudio
Rocks on Wheels
Mike Hewson
School Models
Florian Graf
Essay:
Emergent Play
Sara Brunelle
Harvard Yard Childcare Center Play Study
G2 Collaborative
Nami Play Pavilion
Nami Nami Studio
Creatures
ertepl
Pod for Happiness
Craft Narrative
Boulder Park
XISUI Design
Playground Landscape
Hidalgo Nuñez Architects
Transformation of a Wastewater Treatment Plant into a Playground
En-Dehors
Color Pit
Etienne Bastormagi, Sandra Richani, Nada Borgi
Fresnillo Playground
Rozana Montiel, Alin V. Wallach
PILARES
Rozana Montiel Studio
Entrerrios Educational Park
Connatural
San Antonio School 1.0
ELE Architects
BLOX
Carve
A Room for Archaeologists and Kids in Pachacamacc
ETH Zürich + PUCP
Essay:
From the Forms of Playgrounds to the Understandings of Childhood, and vice versa
Vincent Romagny
That’s Not Fair!
studio dmau
Buranbanen Activity Park
Agraff Architects
Rita Lee Park
Ecomimesis
Bicentennial Children’s Park
ELEMENTAL
Parc dels Colors
EMBT Architects