A new children's playground inspired by a medieval wooden settlement will be built in Wrocław's Millennium Park. This is one of the largest investments to date by the Board of Urban Greenery, implemented as part of the Wroclaw Civic Budget. Sebastian Dobiesz and Anna Grajper architects from the LAX laboratory for architectural experiments studio are responsible for the "MedievalWroclaw" project, which will cost PLN 2.1 million.
"Medieval Wroclaw" is a project for a giant playground, which was selected as part of the Wroclaw Civic Budget. Now the city is seeking a contractor through a tender. Later this year it is planned to implement the first stage of the project.
The guiding principle of the architects from the LAX laboratory for architectural experiments was that the designed playground should fit into the landscape character of Wroclaw's Millennium Park. The authors also wanted to use all available forms of play for children of all ages. Little users will be able to enjoy playing with sand, sliding, swinging, climbing, exploring and overcoming obstacles.
The playground is divided into seven guiding zones
© LAX laboratory for architectural experiments
Attractions have been inscribed into the existing terrain, and the architects took care to provide view openings to a panorama of the surrounding vegetation of trees and meadows. In addition to the typical catalog forms of toys, the authors designed individual play equipment in the style of medieval buildings. The playground will also include a place for youth and adult recreation. Interestingly, the premise uses the patterns of the half-timbered walls of Wroclaw monuments as the main inspiration and leitmotif for shaping the playground equipment.
The area of the playground has been divided into seven guiding zones, which include the belfry which is the entrance gate, the village homestead, the bridge, the river, the dragon mountain, the market and the tower.
The entrance gate to the square resembles a medieval bell tower
© LAX laboratory for architectural experiments
entrance like a medieval bell tower
The entrancegate located on the northeast side resembles a medieval belfry and the entrance gate of the fortress foreground. The ground floor section contains information boards and rules and regulations for the playground, while the upper part contains four bells of different sizes, allowing users to play four tones.
The most important function of this object from the point of view of shaping spatial order is to shape the composition of cubic elements that define the spaces of the square. In addition, the entrance gate is a custom-designed play device consisting of a climbing wall, a play platform and a slide on a tube. The gate takes a vertical form made of wooden elements arranged in a pattern inspired by medieval chessboard. The covering of the full roof slopes of the bell tower is inspired by medieval wooden shingles, the authors say.
Most of the objects in the playground area were inspired by the pattern of medieval chessboard
© LAX laboratory for architectural experiments
zone for the youngest
The zone for the youngest called the Village Homestead was separated by a wooden fence. The guiding element of this zone is a wooden village barn and a Slavic totem. The architecture continues the use of half-timbering on the side walls, and introduces elongated openwork boarding on the roof slopes. The form of the barn allowed the architects to create a delicate volume whose scale suits the youngest users without overwhelming other play elements with its size. The introduction of a large number of seats makes it easier for adults to watch over their kids.
The enclosure is a playground for the youngest
© LAX laboratory for architectural experiments
The use of chessboard in the upper part of the walls and the thinning of the columns in the ground level section, shaped a transparent object through which one can see the rest of the yard and the surrounding park trees and shrubs. In addition, the designed barn provides a canopy over the sandbox and a structural element for the swings, and a tunnel.
In the middle of the zone is an amorphous protuberance of the terrain made of vertically aligned beams of circular cross-section forming a hill, and an open slide is located here. The central part is also decorated with a Slavic totem with carved animal figures at the bottom and a likeness of Svyatovid at the top. Next to the totem are two pig-shaped rockers. Interactive elements forming a sensory wall in the shape of vessels are also proposed in the area for the youngest.
Dragon Mountain is surrounded by a river
© LAX laboratory for architectural experiments
river and bridge
In the area of the playground there is an artificially shaped trace of the course of the old river in the form of a depression in the terrain. Its character was emphasized by a playground device with a wavy form reminiscent of water. Over the bed of the old river bed a wooden bridge was carried out to facilitate communication for people with baby carriages. The bridge is also an excellent vantage point where children can plan scenarios and the order of play in the square.
dragon mountain
Dragon Mountain is a place for various forms of play, such as climbing, sliding, exploring and movement games. The main elements that make up this play area are a palisade, dragon's den, hillside, slide and amphitheater.
In the center of the hill is a den with a dragon
© LAX laboratory for architectural experiments
The main element of the dragon mountain is a wooden palisade structure that contains play equipment. There are two play levels consisting of climbing devices, nets and a concentric tube slide. An important element of the entire plaza is a dragon sculpture hidden in a den. The pit is also a facilitator for climbing up, transforming into a tunnel leading to the first level of the palisade. In front of the dragon, there is a space called the fire pit containing, for example, trampolines.
One of the fields on the walls of the hill, right next to the entrance to the dragon's den, is intended for stairs leading to the palisade. Next to them, seating was made in the form of an amphitheater. This is an element that serves the caretakers, while in the case of events of the nature of performances and shows it becomes an auditorium for a larger audience.
The market is a townhouse forming an obstacle course and playground
© LAX laboratory for architectural experiments
market and tower
The center of the playground is occupied by buildings inspired by the medieval market. It consists of four sets of townhouses joined together to form an obstacle and play track. The sets of townhouses are connected by rope bridges, pipe tunnels and steel pipe connectors. Numerous entrances lead to the interior of the development, which are accessed through various forms of ladders and stairs. In the middle of the market square, spatially separated by tenement houses, a boulder with the sword Excalibur was placed.
The tower is surrounded by a labyrinth in the form of a spiral fence
© LAX laboratory for architectural experiments
At the southwestern end, the architects placed the tower, extending it beyond the line of surrounding trees. In the center of the tower are rope climbing elements, allowing access to its upper levels. A tube slide was routed along the contour. A labyrinth in the form of a spiral fence made of wooden planks was arranged around the tower. In the further part, the fence turns into a rope park constituting an obstacle course making it difficult to conquer the tower. The whole is closed on the southern side by a stone wall made of blocks and fragments of lapidary supplemented with contemporary stonework. This treatment visually and functionally separates the tower from the park area.
The architects confirm that the realization of the first stage of the playground in the form of Dragon Mountain is planned for later this year.
Sebastian Dobiesz and Anna Grajper are also the authors of the interactive urban wetland, which will be constructed in Stalowa Wola.
