37 minute read
EXPLORATION
from URBAN ‘PLAY’ GROUND
by Le Frankie
02
EXPLORATION
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WHAT IS PLAY?
In the society today, play is are perceived as an unproductive, petty or even a guilty pleasure. However, in a scientifically definition, ‘Play’ is a primal activity at its most basic level in humanity, engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, rather than any serious or practical purpose. ‘Play’ is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment (Gray, P. 2013). This thesis study defines ‘Play’ as an emotion generator that generate happiness in our life. Play can occur in our daily activities such as eating, studying, working, even doing toilet business, as long it created sense of happiness, it is play. Hence, there is no specific definition of play. According to Dr Stuart Brown, the ability of play is critical not only to being happy, but also to sustaining social relationships and being a creative, innovative person. For further explanations, there are 7 properties of ‘Play’ listed by Brown, S., & Vaughan, C. (2010):-
i. Apparently purposeless The purpose of ‘Play’ is purposeless. When we play is simply just enjoying the feeling of fun while playing. Play are seem not helping us in earning money or provide us food to survive however, it is a key to unlock happiness toward a good mental health.
ii. Voluntary The action of going to ‘Play’ must be in the way of willingness whereas being forced in action is not fun and unhealthy. The unleash the happiness of ‘Play’ is self-willing and voluntarily.
iii. Inherent attraction Attractive is one of the reasons that make us ‘Play’. The action or the task is not attractive we would not enjoy it will doing it. Therefore, everyone defines ‘Play’ based on what make them fun. For example, gardening it seem boring to someone who like sport, but for other people gardening it stimulating fun and cures boredom for them. It is measure by individual personal judgment in desirable to create sense of happiness.
iv. Time free This is an experience of losing track on time while ‘Playing’. It sounds like wasting time but the real meaning of time free here is to create a sense of enjoy the living moment, provide a temporary shuttle to escape from the hectic life and enjoy the freedom. v. Diminished consciousness of self In the modern living world, sometimes people are over-conscious about us, to think about how people thinking about us and behaved in front of others. Hence, ‘Play’ clear our mind of thought and diminished our self-conscious if we enjoy ‘Play’.
vi. Improvisational potential Although ‘Play’ is not our constant daily routine, but ‘Play’ activities can trigger our brain to open up new possibilities, putting things in a different perspective and gain new insights.
vii. Continuation desire Play lights up the nucleus accumbens, better known as the reward centre of the brain. Thus, there is always a desire of continuation to having fun. Subconsciously, we’re constantly on the look-out for ways to integrate play in our lives so the less fun stuff becomes bearable.
In short, ‘Play’ can be implement in our daily basis in term of how we perceive the definition of ‘Play’ if the activities bring us happiness by voluntary action, its attractiveness, time free, temporary diminished our self-conscious, continuous desire, it will create a different quality of life in a better ways.
Lucia Capacchione
SIGNIFICANT OF PLAY
Many studies show that ‘Play’ is essential for children development, however ‘Play’ is an important role in all ages. ‘Play’ for all ages is intrinsic in human need along the human growth and development at every life stage. Eventually, it has the advantages on wellbeing and wellness. In relation to that, ‘Play’ involves a large variety aspect including physical, mental, emotional and social health benefits that enhance survival skills and quality of life by stimulating creativity, productivity, flexibility, optimism, empathy, social altruism, cooperation, problem solving and stress management (Kresser, M. C. S. 2018). In 2018, the Real Play Coalition was formed by the LEGO Foundation, IKEA, UNICEF, National Geographic Partners and ARUP to bring up the awareness of ‘Play’ into the urban settings.(Real Play Coalition, 2020). According to them, there are 5 beneficial aspects through ‘Play’ as follows:-
i. Physical Health ‘Play’ can involve large physical movement which help to build up motor skills, flexibility and balancing skills. Physically active play is carried out unconsciously in our daily routine. It also improves heart, muscle strength, and lungs function which helps to prevent disease such as obesity and diabetes. (Nijhof et al., 2018)
ii. Social Interactions ‘Play’ enhance social skills in our daily basis to communicate, collaborate with others through the give and take while playing. Verbal communication, body language, cooperation and teamwork can be learned in ‘Play’. For example, in an event normally icebreaking session with games can warm up the conversation easily among strangers in any events. It also helps to keep the relationship fresh and exciting.
iii. Creative ‘Play’ helps individual stimulate creativity. According to study, ‘Play’ helps on neurological growth for kids and strengthen neuronal connections in adults’ brain which trigger our brain to have new possibilities (Stuart Brown 2009). The curiosity and exploration are the key element for stimulating creativity and this can be achieved through the play. iv. Emotional ‘We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing’ by George Bernard Shaw. ‘Play’ keep us energetic and stress relieving by providing a temporary shuttle to escape from the hectic life and enjoy the freedom. Play can trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals (Dwenda Gjerdingen, MD, 2013). These promote an overall sense of wellbeing and can temporarily relieve pain. In addition, kids can learn to manage their emotion during ‘Play’ by building self-awareness and handling impulse, as well as staying motivated and confident in facing difficulties.
v. Cognitive ‘Play’ reinforce the memories, concentration, problem solving and flexible thinking by learning to tackle complex tasks and building effective strategies to identified solution. (Real Play Coalition, 2020)
Despite the evidence, ‘Play’ still undervalued, underprioritized and unrecognised in this modern era urban living. Most of the people are still unaware of the great needs and benefits of ‘Play’ towards individuals at all life stages no matter age or ethnic. Urban development only focuses on the technologies and economic growth which have neglected the quality of life and social well-being. Therefore, this study aims to promote the awareness on significant of ‘Play’ for general public to increase the level of urban happiness, as a result elevating quality of life.
PLAY FOR DIIFERENT AGES
Having fun in our daily life can be describe as important as breathing which is all around us, yet mostly unnoticed or unappreciated until it is missing (Stuart Brown 2009). The play that remains is, like league sports, mostly very organized, rigid, and competitive. However, according to (Right & Play, n.d.), indifferent stages of ages, there are different types of play that suitable and beneficial in developmental stage. Below are the list for play for difference ages and the benefits:1. Babies (0-18month) At the stage of newborn baby, they are just new to the world and need caregivers to take care, guide them. Hence, they are only responding to smiles, to touch, to sounds, to colors and to movements. The suitable play for these ages is unoccupied play. According to Raising Children Network, unoccupied play let babies to explore with their mouths, hands and feet and play with anything within the range with help them to discover the world with their body, which help to develop motor skill, strengthen their muscle. In addition, singing and music play activities helps to increase brain development, encourages language and memorization (Medzerian 2016).
2. Toddlers (18months to 3 years) These stages becoming more active and curious about the physical environment. There are more towards to the exploration types play which testing around through play with any item they can get in hands on, climbing, running, sliding. They love water, sand, mud and start to use their imaginations to stimulating new experiences to helps to in expand the imagination, creativity, emotional and cognitive development.
3. Pre-schooler (3-6years) At this stage, children started to explore on friendship, and learn the social skills, cooperative skill with several children taking part by dramatic play, which allow them to explore roles, channel emotions and “make sense’ of their world. A preschooler’s play show s their growing skills of speech, physical agility and small muscle coordination such as their play enhances these skills.
4. Middle childhood (6-12years) In the age of middle childhood, it is often that restricted in a same routine that focus on academic, formal sports at schools, tuition which the ages started to neglect play. This stage’s play needs to be facilitated in public parks and ‘wide-adventure” venues with a range of activities and needs to be both reasonably safe and challenging. These play areas could include skate-boards parks, camping grounds, climbling walls, off-road cycle tracks, area that can constructed by junk and so on (Right & Play, n.d.).
5. Teenagers (12-18years) In the advance technology modern world, study show increase number of internet addiction among secondary students (Abdul Aziz et al., 2018). It cause of increasing member for mental health issue such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Therefore play is playing an important role in this age, which play provide them the recognition, pleasure and pride in presenting their mastery. For example organized sport, cultural activities, clubs for hobbies, social events. The team games or group they play with becomes very important, as their primary references is now their peers. They have a need to feel independent of adults, and belong to a group where they have status of friendship. There is still a need for adult supervision at all venues and events as alcohol, drugs and negative social alignments could pose a risk for teenagers. Adults also need to be available to facilitate appropriate and accessible opportunities for a wide range of sport and recreational activities, and to support young people in choosing healthy lifestyles and making responsible decisions.
6. Adults There are no specific study or research that suitable play for adults due to the definition of this thesis topic for play, which play generated happiness to us it is consider a play. In this age, there are wide range of activities that people and enjoy and play, and it define differently by everyone. According to study and research, there are hard to define play due to it can be anything, for instance, gardening for some people there are fun to do, however some of them feels boring doing gardening (Stuart Brown 2009). Therefore, according to Dr Stuart Brown, he has identified 8 play personality to let people identified their own playing preferences.
PLAY PERSONALITY
a. The Joker Joker, the word generates from joke where someone like to create joke, funny movement, make fun of himself to bring sense of happiness to their family, friend of people around them. Play doesn’t only apply in games or activities, but in normal conversation it also can be very playful and fun way when it reaches to ‘The Joker’. In addition, it can be a art performance such as stand-up comedy, clown, magician as a job profession.
b. The Kinesthetic Kinesthetic personality is the people who love physical movement such as running, jumping, climbing, dancing and sport which activities that involve body movement. They gain happiness thru physical activity and competition is not the focus. Study shown kinesthetic can be a learning tools that in helps those people who unable to focus in listening to lecture, change into a a playful learning that involve hand-on, visual experience which helps to in learning and increase memorization (Gluck, 2014).
c. The Explorer Explorer refer to adventures which the personality that curious about the world, like to take risks to explore new things in their life. They find the excitement in exploring new things, and it can be physical and emotional. Emotional refer to explore the feeling, sensor through activities trigger brain such as music, yoga, reading, learn new things and so on.
d. The Competitor The competitor is enjoying in participating competition due to the enthusiasm to break record, win or become the first. It is quite similar to the explorer however competitor like challenge more the seek for new experience. They are able to adapt the rules and enjoying winning. The Competitor enjoy playing games such as solitary video games or a team games like sport.
e. The Director The Director refer to people who find happiness in manage, planning, organizing events or certain activity. This play personality is active in being in a group of people which make them more confident, social and suitable to become a leader.
f. The Collector This type of play personality joy in looking for collection. They will collect the most in interesting object collection of objects or experience. The collection would not the expensive art work or artifact, but can be something really simple like coins, figures, flowers, shoes, car, ties and as long it brings the excitement to the collector. The Collector also like to organize and always admire their collection even show to they family, friends and people around.
g. The Artist/Creator The Artist or Creator found happiness in creating things such as art, painting, pottery, design object such as furniture, cloths, gardening. They are able to express their feeling into their creator which help them to release the physical and mental stress.
h. The Storyteller The Storyteller has good imagination and creativity due to they enjoy in the world of story, writing they own story with their own creativity. This personality also found happiness in reading, watching or listening to other story. Because of real, of the storyteller is in imagination, they fan bring play to almost any activities. For instance, in a boring walk, they can make the walk into a dramatic series with spy or gun shooting around them.
Above all are the 8 personalities that identified by Dr Stuart Brown. Each person might have a mix up personality however is a reference for us to find a sense of excitement (the way of having fun) in our daily life. It might able to help us in finding our career where an job that make us enjoyable light up our life.
IMPACT OF ‘PLAY’ IN URBAN CONTEXT
In the foreword from the Housing Design for Community Report prepared by ZCD Architects (2017), highlighted that outdoor play enriches the life, health and wellbeing especially for children. However, in urban planning, city planner or designer often neglected the ‘play’ element as design tools due to the lack of awareness of the benefits of a playful environment toward the city and community (ZCD Architects, & N. F., 2017). An All-Party Parliamentary Group (APGG) report in 2015, highlighted the negative effect due to the neglect of play not only on the social and wellbeing of child’s development but also to the society and economy. Coleman, N., Smith, S., Holt, D., Forster, S., Wright, C., & Carter, M. (2015) challenged current attitudes to play, where police may be called to investigate a wayward football or noisy game, and the stigmatizing of younger children who are outdoors playing without supervision and of the parents that allow this to happen. It proposed a series of measures to re-boot our awareness of the importance of play and suggests how we should invest to provide the right environment to foster and encourage it. In relation to that, a mapping exercise was done by ZCD Architects, & N. F. (2017) and has proven that spatial characteristic of neighbourhood such as accessible shared external space, access to external spaces from homes, networks and street design for social interaction can influence the amount of play observe. Below are the 4 mapping done throughout the study:-
In figure 1.1, ZCD Architects identifies the amount of shared space and accessibility from adjacent dwellings in a housing area. It grades external space on a sliding coloured scale, giving weight to car free, well-overlooked and safe accessible spaces.
In figure 1.2, ZCD Architects identifies the proportion of homes that have direct, safe access to shared open space and a clear line of sight between the home and the open space.
In figure 1.3, ZCD Architects study the qualities of networks on the scheme particularly those connecting space, are evaluated.
In short, ZCD Architects, & N. F. (2017) concluded that play is the crucial channel influencing the children’s development as this is how they see and learn about the world. In addition, they believe that once children are playing outdoor, the social and community interactions between adults will be most likely enhanced as well. Therefore, it is important that architects, designer and planner of the city to take into consideration on the significant of play in a community. With this, the future of urban context development will be filled with the anticipating journey and play experience to achieve the social sustainability.
Figure 1.2: (source: ZCD Architects, & N. F.2017)
Figure 1.3: (source: ZCD Architects, & N. F.2017)
PLAY ARCHITECTURE
After understanding the definition and significant of ‘Play’, it seems like ‘Play’ and architecture are both disparate fields. However, there is a strong connection between these two elements: ‘Play’ is an activity which will lead to positive wellbeing and Architecture is the space to create, compliment, induce and elevate the joyful experience while playing. Spaces can be created architecturally for community or user to set free, comfortable, release stress and sense of nothing to loss or gain. It can be a space with different playful rules for instance direction, speed, behavior and so on and achieve the sense of uncertainty in space and transit (Caillois Roger, 2001). This study intended to change the common perception that ‘Play’ can only occur in Playground and are only designated for kids. Hence, ‘Play’ should be injected everywhere in the city for people of all life stages to redefine the hectic life into a whole new joyful experience, inspiring new states of mind and detaching the user from their everyday reality.
Malaysia’ urbanization is moving towards an economic driven development; however, the city development is not beneficial for livability. The common lifestyle in urban context where people are overwhelmed by hectic and repetitive working routine where people have no time to have fun and play! Sadly, in this rapid urbanization era, ‘Play’ is perceived as an unproductive, petty or even a guilty pleasure. Nevertheless, ‘play’ element will be remains as after-thought process if there is lack of awareness of the benefits of play such as improving the social interaction, enriching the life, health and wellbeing (ZCD Architects, & N. F., 2017). This study invokes the needs to have more playful architecture in the built environment to induce excitement and happiness in the dull and boring everyday routine in formal and soulless architecture-built environment. ‘Play’ in architecture is foresee to one of the most important elements that we need to look into in the future architecture and during the planning stage especially in the urban context neighborhood in order to enhance the life of community at all life stages.
In short, this study anticipates that integrating ‘Play’ into Architecture has great potential of leading towards a more joyful, creative and bonding in the community. Hence ‘Play’ is a powerful tool to be implemented in architecture when developing or designing a building or urban planning to enhance the quality of life. Therefore, it is important to have the consensus that ‘Play’ can apply in everywhere that we could think of and directly link to creativity and playfulness in creating new movement and space in our built environment.
INTEGRATION OF PLAY IN ARCHITECTURE
The playful cities are not restricted to the playground, or the indoor lifestyle movement, or just to the ways that they have been conceived, but the creativity of corporates with unlimited possibility of architectures design, that is all kinds of objects, insertions, space, practices, ideas and emotions(Borden, 2008). There are thirteen tactics of creating a Playful city by Iain Borden. This research would like to discuss and highlight on few tactics there are useful.
I. Temporalities Living in a hectic life in big cities, there are work, appointment, scheduled, deadline and all different commitment in life. The temporalities here can be space temporality that due to the factor of limited space, recreation or redefine a space into adaptability and flexibility. The main definition of temporalities is a pinch of golden time and moment for people to release the stress, enjoy the space, daydreaming which disconnect from the reality and stress. Thus, it reflects one of the 7 play properties propose by Dr Struat Brown, the freedom of time which ‘Play’ space or public space can be great temporally space for people to recreates and make them new again, one of the precious resources. II. Remembering Memory is an important role in entire life, the great memories and figure who help to define the nations and commonly-held belief. However, the bad memories embedded in our live still benefits us, as Georg Simmel called it, “in each of life’s details the totality of its meaning.” Thus, it is important of recall memory in our life. Play can generate memory and sense of place, further bonding people to city. It’s a powerful force that benefits the architecture that encourages it and the occupants that experience it.
III. Interventions Architecture intervention is needed to take over a particular space stimulating social order like placemaking and propose program to make over into better quality space that serve the community. With different kinds of architecture interventions which intercede and playful rather than exploit and abandon.
IV. Active Health & Thinking According to Borden(2008), the definition of active health is to turn our body and mind into energetic, try to make our life more positive and happier by changing the normal routine into a fun routine. For instance, instead of straight wall, tilt it will make the walk more interaction like having function similar to slide that people can interact with. Health activity is here fully embedded within the life of the city, not zoned out into isolated spaces and times. While the definition of healthy bodies, while architecture could help to convert the built environment into promoting the thoughts on healthies lifestyle by implement ‘Play’. In short, the benefits of having ‘Play’ architectures contemplate the world around us in a provocative and interactive manner Borden(2008).
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Play and Architecture seem to be a separate element. However, this thesis study will apply ‘Play’ into architecture to create a different movement that break the formal building language and to cultivate bonding among community through an urban space where children and the community can have the opportunities to create meaning and a sense of belonging. Thus, this thesis will study on the current issues of Play, injecting the element of Play which instinct in human being and apply the design into architecture.
NABC
1. Need - To provide the Play which is the essential for life for all age by architecture approach. That is a need of new architecture approach to integrating play for all age in urban context.
2. Benefits - By injecting play as a catalyst for learning at all age within the urban context
3. Approach - To integrate ‘Play’ as an architecture solution, creating sustainable ‘play’ ground in the urban setting.
4. Competition - Evolve beyond the typical infrastructure playground design only for children towards incorporating play for all ages in their lifestyle to achieve social sustainability
Need
Play for all ages. That is a need of new architecture approach to integrating play for all age in urban context. Approach
To integrate ‘Play’ as an architecture solution, creating sustainable ‘play’ ground in the urban setting
Benefit
Injecting play as a catalyst for learning at all age within the urban context. Competition
Evolve beyond the typical infrastructure playground design only for children towards incorporating play for all ages in their lifestyle to achieve social sustainability
CASE STUDY
In this case study, the criteria of selection is study the space function that have potential common shared space as age-integrated space for all with integrated with ‘Play’. The word ‘Play’ are the spices to make a space into a meaningful and interactive the serve the whole community in sense of ‘Play’. The precedent study are not limited to a building form architecture, but it can be an abstract art piece, public spaces that stimulate ‘Play’, happiness, enjoyment and sensory. The below are the precedent studies: 1. Playground - Aldo Van Eycks’s Playground 2. Master Planning – Superkillen Park, Copenhagen 3. Unused spaces - Folly For a Flyover by Assemble 4. Adaptive Reuse – Tainan Spring, Taiwan 5. Tactical Urbanism - Klong Toey Community Lantern / TYIN Tegnestue Architects
PLAYGROUND - ALDO VAN EYCKS’S PLAYGROUND
Aldo van Eyck(1947-1978) is an Dutch architect who involved and developed 700 over playground in Amsterdam. However, there are only 17 playgrounds have been reserved until today (van Lingen and Kollarova, 2016). Van Eyck has developed the in-between realm which “space to provide, from house to city scale, a bunch of real places for real people and real things” (van Eyck, 1962/2008,p. 55). Along the architecture journey, Van Eyck adopted these 3 principles; infill strategies, merging into the city and aesthetic, affordances and creativity.
Van Eyck created and developed the playscape that play the role in accepting and taking all the disadvantage of the cities and site constraints, converting into places for social gathering and children’s play (Lefaivre and Tzonis, 1999; Solomon, 2005). Indeed, he followed Theo van Doesburg’s dictum that all parts of the city are of equal importance and should be used (Withagen & Caljouw, 2017). Dijkstraat Playground, Amsterdam is one of the works of art by Van Eyck which was conceived within the site context and recreated a new urban life that opposed the traditional post-war public space.
Another aspect by Aldo van Eyck is the playground were never fenced although located in the city. While during the olden days, playground was isolated with fencing and user must paid for entrance. The Buskenblaserstraat playground in Amsterdam provided the nice illustration of merging the playground into the city (Withagen & Caljouw, 2017). According to Sennet (2008) sociologist, the ambiguities spatial had created a cooperative activity among the communities, where the children started to take care of each other, keeping each other safe by coming up with with games rules that permit play within the community. Without fencing on playground, community become an integral part of the city (Withagen & Caljouw, 2017). Van Eyck emphasized on material, mainly concrete and metal that integrate in his playground equipment as compared to the modern-day playground with colourful plastic. These materials (concrete, metal) fit in naturally with the building material of the city (Withagen & Caljouw, 2017).
Aldo Van Eyck has created more than 700 playgrounds, park and square in empty space in Amsterdam with different site constraint. However the playground all are designed with combination of a set of play elements; sandpit, tumbling bars, jumping stone and climbing arch whereby all the set are design differently according to the site and the local experience(Withagen & Caljouw, 2017). He often uses geometrical shapes to give an aesthetical appeal and design the element of play follow by his quote: “[s]implicity is not a goal in art but one reaches simplicity in spite of oneself, by approaching the real sense of things” (quoted in van Eyck, 1962/2008,p.30). The power of geometry that he design stimulate the creativity and imagination of users, leads to an “open function”. “The objects do not move, but they allow a child to move with all the acrobatism and suppleness he can muster. That was the genius of their simplicity.” (Withagen & Caljouw, 2017). In short, by studying the aspect by Aldo Van Eyck, playground can be just more than typical colourful plastic slide and see-saw. An architecture ‘Play’ ground can be multiple way on a sociocultural perspective on affordances which create space for the local that stimulate their imagination and true identities of the space.
Buskenblaserstraat , Amsterdam. (source: Withagen & Caljouw, 2017)
MASTER PLANNING - SUPERKILLEN PARK, COPENHAGEN
Superkillen Park is located in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, Denmark, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BiG) in cooperation with Topotek 1 and Superflex (Frearson, A. 2017). It is a heterogeneous urban park covered 300,00m2 and 750m long with an intriguing concept that is conceived as a giant exhibition of objects all over the globe. According to BIG, this urban park collected 60 different nationalities installation objects and furniture such as Yerevan’s picnic tables, Nijmegen’s bike racks, neon signs inspired by Russia and Qatar, a fountain from Morocco, Japanese octopus playground, Spain’s ping-pong table, Thai boxing ring and more, as the integration across ethnicity, religion, culture, and languages. The park is divided into 3 colors with different function zones with its designated theme where BIG clarifies that “Three zones, three colors equal to one neighborhood”. It consists of The Red Square, The Black Market, and The Green Park. The different surfaces and colors are designed to integrate with the surrounding objects to create dynamic visuals. The newly designed public space accommodates people of all ages, interests, and a range of activities, from chess to active sport.
The Black Market, Superkillen Park (source: Sánchez, D. 2021
The first section of the park is The Red Square, which covers a wide public walkway with angular vibrant red, orange, and pink shapes. All objects placed in this section follow the red color scheme, even the walls, pathways, and vegetation. The designer selectively chooses maple trees and cherry blossom trees to match the color scheme. When entered The Red Square, it consisted of an open place for residents to gather and play sports. The central square is built upon an existing hockey field but is now a multipurpose space used for ball games, parades, markets, and even skating in the winters. The square is a great urban marketplace setting, attracting visitors every weekend from Copenhagen and the suburbs. Other purposes included a café in the east of The Red Square, an outdoor fitness area that allows intergeneration exercise, Thai boxing, a playground slide from Chernobyl, swing chairs from Baghdad. In the safety aspect, The Red Square is bounded by a street at each end, with buildings and fences along the sides.
The Black Market is known as the “urban living room,” whereas it is the heart of the urban park and where the locals meet. The surface pattern is composed of black asphalt with white lines from north to south and curves around the furniture and objects within the park. In the center lies a black octopus, commonly viewed as a playground for children. Many locals meet around the Moroccan fountain, the Turkish bench, and under the Japanese cherry trees. On the weekday’s permanent tables, benches and grill facilities are available for backgammon, chess player, and others.
With its undulating hills and spaces, The Green Park is most popular for picnics, sunbathing, and sports. It attracts children, young people, and families. The purpose of this site was in response to the local inhabitants asking for more green space. Therefore, the park is completely green, even the bike and pedestrian paths. In addition, it is the largest out of the 3 sections. The long-stretched park houses several different sports fields and courts integrated with a hockey field. The bike lanes run through Red Square and Black Market, no doubt it continues through Green Park. There are Armenian picnic tables next to Mjolnerparken with South African BBQs to serve the community who like outdoor activities, a volcano-shaped inspiration to break typical sports arena for basketball and football. A line dance pavilion from Texas, muscle beach from LA with a high swing from Kabul, Spanish ping-pong tables, and a pavilion for the kids to hang out in. Soft pocket green hill in between the activities area enhance the playfulness recreation park and on top can almost overlook the entire Superkillen.
The Red Square,Superkillen Park (source: Sánchez, D. 2021)
Superkillen Park success in terms of implementing diverse activities and installations mention above which accommodates a diverse range of ages and interests for the local community. This project successfully creates a healthier built environment for the community to enhance wellbeing and wellness. The three zones are well organized with unique designs using color, texture, and pattern which create strong memory and sense of place, further bonding people to the city. It’s a powerful force that benefits the architecture that encourages it and the occupants that experience it (Borden, 2008). However, the chosen color should have more intention and meaning that not only lighten up the street but can apply color psychology to bring different sense or mood while visiting the park. The designer mention that integrating more than 60 different culture are not strongly enhanced due to some object or furniture are often used in another recreation area such as swing, slide, sports equipment, which the user might need to read or understand the architecture through another platform, not the installation itself. The accessibility to the site although does not state clear, but in the design, it provides a different lane for the bicycle to encourage reduce carbon footprint. Hence, this project is a good starting of creating a successful playful urban place with the innovative architecture element mentions above, which able to apply in future urban planning.
UNUSED SPACES - FOLLY FOR A FLYOVER BY ASSEMBLE
The meaning of ‘folly’ refers to act or behave like foolishly, silliness, and stupidity. However, Assemble, the principal architect, turnover the meaning of folly, make it a concept of being silly, having fun, transform a new image and space underneath an unused flyover. Starting with the idea that how spaces are imagined is often as important as their physical characteristics in determining their use, the Folly reclaimed the future of the site by re-imagining its past. The idea of the Folly is to create a new ‘fairy tale’ as a new home that to show the motorway landlord who refuses to move, and the design of the pitched roof sticks out between the East and Westbound lanes as a sign describes by Assemble (Frearson, A. 2011). The Folly for a Flyover is located in London under a motorway in Hackney Wick. It is a temporary public space that only stand for 9 weeks in the summer of 2012 and had attracted 40,000 visitors.
Although there is a limitation on space, Folly had hosted a wide range of cinematic, performance, cultural, and play events organized by Assemble collaboration with Barbican Centre and numerous local organizations and business. Due to the attraction of the local community, The Folly become an offbeat community center that allows the local community to hang out, a café selling local food, yoga, silent films, workshop. On weekdays, there is a range of family actives such as puppet-making, optical trickery, and bug-hotel building workshops. In the evening there will be a series of film events, many to the accompaniment of live music prepared for the occasion. The Folly minimize every inch of the space, which allow visitor to hire for rowboat and boat tours to explore the surrounding waterways.
Folly for a Flyover (source: David Vintiner. 2011)
The Folly does not only attract the local community, but it also attracted many architecture fans to visit due to the construction method and the innovative reuse of a material as described by Assemble. All the material is reused and collected at local area such as the paving stone are from the off-cuts London Underground, the reddish hue red brick alike is transforming by old railway sleepers and old ferry deck’s reclaimed timber , yes, a stone brick can be replaced by timber which construction material can be playful too. In addition, the construction method of the wooden brick is using ‘dry assemble’ which after the finish of the event, the wooden brick had been repurposed into new play and planting facilities for a local primary school. Due to the ‘dry assemble’ method, Assemble gather local community with any skill or commitment level as a volunteer to get involved in the building process. Therefore, the local community is able to feel the excitement of the project not only because of the activities and spaces provided but because of the building process as well. The involvement of the local community generates a strong sense of belonging and ownership which reduces the stressfulness of living in the area and improves the safety around the urban area with the cooperation of the local community (Yencken, 2015).
In short, this precedent study shows a great example of creating a sense of belonging and ownership by full involvement of the local community, which is an important principle to create a playful urban where the community is the people who use the space, their needs is important. Hence, playful urban needs not only playful equipment, color, social activities but creating a sense of belongs.
ADAPTIVE REUSE - TAINAN SPRING, TAIWAN
Tainan Spring is an adaptive reuse project that implements the spring and water play concept into the existing underground shopping mall, China-Town Mall. It is designed by MVRDV, Dutch architecture that focuses on tackling the urban issue and implanting ideas on creating a positive, community-oriented future (Cottee, J. 2020). China-Town Mall was built in 1983, was left neglected and abandoned, and giving a new life by MVRDV back to the local community.
The existing underground parking has been converted into a sunken water play plaza and a little small island with a natural landscape mixture. The intention of placing the urban pool is to flood life back into the redundant space and bring up the history of the city by swimming along with the pool. In addition, the urban pool is carefully designing to adapt to the different weather, which allows rising and falls water depending on the weather which safe for letting the community for a different experience of water play. In the summer, the sunken urban pool helps to reduce the hot temperature and let the visitor to relief. There is not only urban play, but Tainan Spring also allows include playgrounds, gathering spaces, and performance stage. The second basement has been
Basement Plan (source: Archdaily. 2020)
MVRDV has taking ultra-care in removed and recycle the China-Town mall. They remain the concrete structure shown in Figure 4.14 as a constant reminder of the Mall. The concrete frame has left several follies that can transform into shops, kiosks, and other playful amenities, and the concrete frame fully blends into the urban pool like a contemporary Roman Forum.
Another key feature of this project is to bring the natural to the existing concrete jungle. The local community can enjoy a green and refreshment although living in hectic urban life. MVRDV created a community hub for all generations to connect with, together.
In summary, there are some numbers of neglected structure or building in Kuala Lumpur such as Kuala Lumpur railway station. Let’s imagine that if these places can be revamped into new playful space or a community hub by maintaining the existing historical structural contemporary, implementing with different range of innovative activity like Tainan Spring that focuses on all life stages, it will then become more valuable than just being preserved as a heritage building.
Tainan Spring (source: Daria Scagliola. 2020)
TACTICAL URBANISM - KLONG TOEY COMMUNITY LANTERN / TYIN TEGNESTUE ARCHITECTSvv
Klong Toey Community Lantern is located in Thailand, Klong Toey, a city that is estimated 140,000 population, one of the largest low-cost community in Thailand where people moving here due to eliminated low cost land rent system in the city. The living condition in Klong Toey are very poor whereas illegal squatter settlement, selfbuild tin-roofed homes keep increases, poor water system create water pollution, electricity, education and the biggest issue are the social issue which involvement on drug problem followed by crime, violence, high unemployment rates and so on (Iverson, K. 2017).
The intention of creating a community centre in this area is to increase the possibilities for positive change in the community and tackle the social issue describe by TYIN Tegnestue Architects (Ross, K. 2019). They claimed that this project although is a small contribution but long-term strategy which help the area to create a safe, social interaction, social sustainable that in both literal and metaphorical sense. The main space of Klong Toey Community lantern is a football court that have multifunction playground to serve the community and a safe space for children which able to tackle some social issues in the area.
Klong Toey Community Lantern (source: TYIN Tegnestue Architects. 2011)
The project is also a collaborative contribution of the student from Germany, local Thailand student and local community. They organized public meetings, went through many interviews, workshops with the local community during the preparation process. End up the construction had taken up to 3 weeks to complete and design carefully with combination of simple ideas concepts which involve several features that are lacking in the area including new hoops for basketball, a stage for performances or public meetings, walls for climbing and seating both inside and around the edges of the playground. In addition, the space does not only focus on playground for children but also cater for teenager and adults to chill, having fun, gather up with family and friends. Due to the space limitation and maintaining the size of a football court, the overall construction is simple, repetitive logic and flexible space that allow the local community to adapt and fit with their needs without changing the structure. The overall size of the structure is 12m long, 1.2m width and 5m height, yet is rich enough to create a playful structure that allow various of activities and play in it.
TYIN Tegnestue Architects have fully utilised every part of the structure. The structure is not only simple seating space but is implemented with playful ideas such as swing, timber and steel fencing climbing as a play idea and façade treatment, and also using recycle fences in the random form that create a visual playfulness, viewing deck with green for chilling and relaxing purpose (figure 4.18). The material use are simple, concrete as the foundation and seating, timber as structure, and various design pattern of local steel fence as façade blend in together with the playful equipment and also the local architecture language. This way the project runs in parallel with the ever-changing surroundings and fits with the idea that the project could be part of a larger call for a more sustainable development in the Klong Toey area.
In summary, this precedent study really gives a huge impact to the study on not only by creating a playful urban but a sustainable urban space. It breaks the perspective as architect, where we are always trained to design something with visual impact of crazy and wild ideas. However, this project used many simple, down to earth design, with tones of meaningful and valuable approaches to help creating a better place for humanity. Playful environment should not only be fun, it should create a positive, bright and better city for our future
