Urban Playground

Inviting people to interact with one another and shifting perceptions of public space within the City of London. The Urban Playground investigates design in the City of London from a child’s perspective – appreciating their need for supervision and safety, their varied physical size, high curiosity, and big appetite for multi-sensory stimulation. The design concept is inspired by wooden toys, and was developed through intuitive sketching alongside advice from play experts. It was important to create an accessible place for everyone, with careful consideration to produce varied experiences. The Urban Playground is deliberately eye-catching and laid out as a ‘trail of breadcrumbs’ to lead visitors and passers-by on a journey through a linear pedestrian street – here they can encounter playful activity in the shade of trees. The larger pieces have cavern-like spaces from which the smaller ones have been carved. Each has a unique shape that enables and encourages open-ended, imaginative, and physically varied play. During the week the installation is also used by city workers for quiet seating and lunchtime gatherings. Materials were chosen for their multi-sensory appeal, ease of fabrication and environmental sustainability. The skeletons of the play structures are made from CNC cut OSB board and timber battens. These are clad with a eco-friendly linoleum and panels of heat treated expanded natural cork. Non-shatter mirrored panels add further diversity to the sensory experience. The afterlife of temporary installations are always an important factor. Following an initial 3-month installation in the City of London, pieces have been deployed for other temporary uses including at a community-led street festival. One large module has been rehomed, in new colours, to a site in London’s Bankside adjacent to the Tate