School playgrounds - Playground@Landscape

T he
Dieser bildet den Leitweg, an dem sich
weitere Spielwege anschließen. Der
geschwungene Rundweg bricht
die vorhandene strenge Böschungskante
auf, verändert
diese und integriert sie in
das Spielgelände. Der Weg
selbst eignet sich für diverse
Lauf- und Fahrspiele
(Fahrrad fahren,
Skaten).
Im Inneren
des Weges
Im Inneren des Weges
befindet sich eine Spielhügellandschaft.
Diese stellt zugleich
einen optischen Übergang
von der ebenen Schulhoffläche in
die angrenzende Böschung dar. Kinder
sport-oriented primary school “Am Botanischen Garten” is situated
in Frankfurt (Oder), in the north-west district of Hansa Nord. This district
is defined by the existing sports facilities in the area. Within the
framework of the urban redevelopment, the intention is to transform the
area into a unified sports complex. The school’s proximity to the sports
centre and the Olympic training centre creates the right conditions for the
development of a continuous system of promoting exercise and a sporty lifestyle.
The schoolyard has been designed to meet the requirements of the children,
on the one hand, but, on the other hand, it aligns itself with the educational
goals and the concept of a “sport-oriented school”. The versatility
of exercise is the focal point, rather than the teaching of specific sports.
The previous schoolyard surface was at ground level and was defined by concrete,
asphalt and the perpendicularity of the surrounding slopes. There were
very few opportunities to exercise, play and relax. The goal of the planning
process was to create attractive options for children, not just during school
break times, but also for the afterschool club and youth club based there,
and also for the entire residential area. The schoolyard is always accessible
to the public and represents a central point in the residential
estate. The existing slopes and the flight of stairs, formerly an
assembly point, were integrated into the overall concept.
The planning concept “BeWegte Welten” serves as a
guiding principle for the design of the school grounds.
Children should be given opportunities to exercise
through play on both horizontal and vertical planes.
The theme “exercise” suggests direct and indirect
ways for the children to orient themselves
in the grounds of the play area. Children should
search out and conquer their own play trails.
Worlds of Exercise
By Andreas Kittner, freelance landscape architect Dipl.-Ing. (FH)
REPORT
können so das gesamte Spielgelände aus verschiedenen
Perspektiven betrachten. Durch die geschwungene Form des
Weges und der Spielhügel werden Sichtbeziehungen unterschiedlich
frei gegeben und es bilden sich Nischen aus. Die unterschiedlichen
Böschungsneigungen bieten ständig ändernde
Schwierigkeitsgrade beim Erklimmen an. An besonders steilen
Böschungen sind entsprechend der geschwungenen Formensprache
Weidenpflanzungen vorgesehen. Die Spielhügellandschaft
dient als überdimensionales Kletter- und Balancierobjekt.
Den Kindern werden zusätzlich verschiedene Aufstiegsmöglichkeiten
und Wegführungen angeboten.
Der westliche Spielhügel kann durch Hangnetze erklettert werden,
die zu einem erhöhten Aussichtspunkt zusammenlaufen.
Hier kann der gesamte Spielbereich überblickt werden. Der
Spielweg führt weiter zu einer Dschungelbrücke. Diese stellt
das Verbindungselement zu einem weiteren Hügel dar. Über
einen Hangsteiger kann dieser wieder verlassen werden.
Den östlichen Spielhügel führt ein Balancier-Parcours hinauf.
Diese Balancierstrecke besteht aus einer Variation von Podesten,
die sich in ihrer Oberflächenstruktur, Neigung und Höhe
unterscheiden. Durch die verschiedene Anordnung von
Schuzlhof school playground: “BeWegte Welten” (Worlds of Exercise) on the
“Am Botanischen Garten” primary school playground in Frankfurt (Oder).
Various paths with different designs, qualities and surface textures respectively,
present additional challenges for the children.
The nearby Olympic training centre reflects the planning concept with its
eye-catching red running track. The regularity of the original elliptical shape
has been changed. A curved circuit with various turns and radii is the unifying
element between the play area, the bordering slopes and the fixed
surfaces. This forms the route along which additional play paths join on.
The curved circuit breaks up the existing severe edges of the slopes, changing
them and incorporating them into the play area. The path itself is suitable
for various games on foot or by bike, skates, etc.
Inside the path
On the inside of the path is a landscape of hills to play on. These create an
optical transition from the flat schoolyard surface on a neighbouring
embankment. This enables children to see the entire play area from various
perspectives. As a result of the path and hills’ curved shapes, a direct line of
sight is only available at certain points, creating alcoves. The slopes, which
vary in terms of steepness, offer a constantly changing degree of difficulty
when attempting to scale them. The plantation of a plot of Willow trees has
been planned for the particularly steep slopes with the plantation to be
proportional to the curved shape of the slope. The hilly play landscape
functions as an oversized climbing and balancing object. In addition to this,
the children will also have other climbing opportunities and trails to choose
from. The western play hill can be scaled using hanging nets that lead up
to an elevated vantage point. The entire play area can be viewed from this
point. The play route continues on to a jungle bridge, which acts as a
linking element to another hill. A rope leading down can be used to leave
the hill again. A balancing course leads up to the eastern play hill. This
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