When you imagine a play area, it will likely look that way There is often a slide, a bridge, and a high area with a domed roof This is what makes this play area, and these, and these But how about this one? This is not a yard for scrap This is called “adventure playground”.
Here there are no plastic items to play with. Just things like old frames, wooden planks, Mallets and nails. Places like this represent one of the most controversial ideas in play architecture. That play areas It must be designed to let children take more risks.
Now, this nightmare for overprotected parents is the hottest topic in American play areas Because there is frequent evidence that playing this way is healthier, And safety for children “They can play with dangerous tools.” “They can take really dangerous risks and overcome them.” This satisfies a high sense of self-confidence. “And it’s really an amazing thing to see.”
This is Margaret Allen She was a site coordination engineer and child care advocate About the middle of the last century In 1945, she visited Copenhagen, where she met an architect named Carl Theodor Sorensen Two years before that during the German occupation of Denmark, Sorensen noticed a problem Children in his neighborhood did not use the play areas designated for them In fact, they were playing everywhere else.
Even on construction sites And bombed buildings So in a residential area on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Sorensen closed an empty plot of land And fill it with building materials, neglected objects, and tools Here children can dig, build, and invent themselves The play elements are designed by the children themselves Sorensen called it “scrap play area” and kids and parents loved it When she returned to England, Margaret Allen began opening similar playing areas around London They re-enacted them from “junk” to “adventure”.
From there, they became a global phenomenon Spread out to Minneapolis, Boston, Toronto, Tokyo, Houston, Berkeley, Berlin To create these play areas, designers have to provide an important component: “controlled risk”.
In this context, risk is not the same as risk When you climb a high tree, a moldy trunk is a risk. The risk is not expected But the height you climb is a risk. It is something that can be done and that requires you interactively to make a decision
You can detail the elements of “controlled risk” into six sections: Height, Speed Tools, Dangerous Items, Rough and Tricky Gameplay, and the ability to hide or get lost An adventure play area contains a mixture of these elements Designers also focus on “vacuum separation” To give children a sense of discovering things themselves, parents must stay out This may mean setting up a physical break or providing services such as toilets, cafes Benches so that parenting experience is not a secondary idea Finally, designers fill it with “free cut”.
These are the objects that can be manipulated. Wood panels, drums, bricks, and tools That supplies fueled gameplay The idea behind all these design elements is that children react well when they are treated seriously If he presents them with a dangerous tool with a serious functional purpose
They will interact with it more cautiously and perform multiple tests But if they are given a still and very safe vacuum, they will end up searching for dangerous adventures Which fails the built environment with its feet.
Which may cause higher rates of infection Play areas are adventurous In America, the culture of designing play areas immune from legal injury cases means that play areas are very safe Is the standard The design philosophy is focused on reducing height, movement, and solid materials This did not make the playing areas better
When Margaret Allen visited American play areas in 1965, she called them “a lawmakers paradise and a children’s fire.” But adventure play areas are emerging in America Perhaps because of efforts to offer disorganized toys And their creation comes with a notable share of cash They make kids play with hammers and nails, this is not an adventure.
“It is work.” “They are deceiving children to build their own play areas.” Adventure play areas have downsides. It is not beautiful, you need more space, Sources need to recruit and operate staff As with any other playing areas, there is a chance of injury But the basic philosophy is that taking risks may help children live a better life
For one reason, more risky play areas motivate children to be more mobile A study that compared London’s play areas, where risk-taking is more popular, For others in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. It was found that the children used to playgrounds in London They were 18% more mobile.
London’s playing areas were cheaper and caused less injuries Several studies have shown that participating children play more risky games They were better at identifying risks, creativity, and self-confidence The play area is one of the only types of architecture designed for children And if these standard designs that we agreed upon are seen by users boring it’s a problem Better design can fix this thing. Even if it is a little risky
