Playgrounds

Playground Wesendonkstraße, Munich

2014 bis 2014

The playground „Wesendonkstrasse“ is an example for implementing new values of building space. The place can be reached easily from different locations of housing, serves as an “extension” of the nearby children-garden and is equally a unique space for experiences “in the woodlands”. Within the existing woodlands beside Wesendonker Strasse, Munich-Bogenhausen, there has been established a “children enchanted forest” beside the new housing area “Lohengrin”, for hiding, exploring and playing. A noise protection wall towards Effnerstreet serves for keeping out traffic noises. In the West of the site, there is a large meadow with a sculpture at the entrance and with hills being appropriate for planning football, moving around or staying in sunshine. The park has an open system of rainwater drainage. The whole area of the ground of the wood is covered by bits of wood. From the meadow, a path of wooden flooring leads to the nature near playground with bridges, strings, towers and nets, where children can master different stages of climbing difficulties. Small niches, reaching into the woodland, offer places for resting and watching on benches. A narentry path east of the site provides for leaving the woodland. The whole area is kind of a replacement for the decrease of original worlds of experience “in a village”, where soil, trees and wilderness near to built form still offer a variety of natural opportunities for playing and perceiving; where handling the “dangers” of the natural environment is still part of everyday life and where children can find out about these “dangers” every day by learning how to keep “safe”: a world of experiences without the artificial safety of the overall limiting fences, signs and security rules. Such a world is also the “enchanted forest”, although the risks of using the offers for playing have been checked and unwanted risks have been excluded preventatively by secure constructions. The whole playground appears like a piece of art created by sculptures of wood, string and metal anchors.