It is always said that one’s character is defined through childhood. Children have a strong impact from the spaces they interact with, one’s character development originates from the daily spaces they interact with. Movies and shows always take on board the childhood scenes preliminary before showcasing the adult character’s scenes because childhood connection sets the foundation for character development. One of the prominent and frequent spaces they interact with is outdoors, a space full of risks and adventures. An outdoor play space is more than coloured benches and swings rather a multifaceted area full of exploration and evolution of all 5 senses- sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. It is a pioneer in the “Voyage to one’s identity”.
Jean Piaget, the Swiss psychologist has studied and defined the four stages of childhood through multiple studies of reading tests, interaction, and adaptation to respective surroundings. The four stages are defined initially from birth to adulthood – sensorimotor stage (0 to 2 years old), preoperational stage (2 to 7 years old), concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years old), and formal operational stage (12 years and older). According to him children retaliate to their surroundings and keep on readapting as surroundings change, henceforth that is what an outdoor space must evoke; it should be adaptive to all age groups as defined by Piaget.
Case Studies
A multidisciplinary study on playgrounds by NIUA (National Institute of Urban Affairs) defines parks based on categorical purposes: housing area parks, neighbourhood parks, community parks, district parks, city parks, and specialised parks. Outdoor play spaces should be created and designed to justify their surroundings. Certain parameters are generally considered before developing an outdoor play space- site assessment, topography, and age group segregation.
Site assessment for a thorough analysis of the site’s location such as connecting roads, noise from roads, if the site’s location falls under secure premises, or can the Topography be used as an opportunity such as contours and the purpose for which outdoor play space must be designed is required to achieve for a better and traverse play space design. Other than site assessment, topography, and designing of play spaces should be done considering all age groups or according to the four stages of childhood as categorised by Jean Piaget. The play area should justify its need for the overall cognitive and creative development of the child. A very efficient and detailed research done by the National Institute of Urban Affairs on outdoor play space explains how play areas should be segregated into zones based on activity typology and intensity of movement. A zonal analysis on the grounds of various activities that are to be performed at the play space is done accordingly to sustain the total area of the site. For example, the different divisions on which neighbourhood parks will work best are where there is less, moderate, or high movement according to how space parks are designed.
There is one good saying “Children are the future” and children can bring the best to the world and as notable future bearers they should learn and respect their soil, mother nature. The initial step to better and sustainable living arises when nature and children come together. This idea of amalgamation is seen through the vision of Kengo Kamo, a Japanese architect who has designed Moku Yama which is a playground structure designed for the age group 5 to 12 years old. Moku Yama is a Japanese word that translates to “wood mountain” and the structure’s sole purpose was to bind play and art. The definite structure is made from logs that support one another to form a sculpture reflecting the landscape of peaks and valleys that children to adults can climb on. The Moku Yama is in itself a paradigm that transcends a stereotypical concept for playgrounds and is inclusive to children, teens, and adults.
Playground design ought to create more than just a playful experience rather than a learning and captive environment for children as undulating designs are much appreciated as they evoke a sense of adventure among them, and such risky territory bounds to make them more independent. Ted Talk speaker Frances Krusekopf a district principal at Sooke School District 62, Canada talks about her experience as a mother when she enrolled her child in a Forest kindergarten located in Germany. She elucidates further that the school has defined standards for education that delve into nature through the activities they host such as treks, adapting oneself to limited resources, camping, etc. Many times, educators while teaching illustrate topics from the interaction of children with the daily spaces prominently outdoor play spaces but if there isn’t efficient exposure to these spaces it might affect their cognitive development.
Red Dunes Playtopia located in Guangzhou, China is a concrete shell structure designed specially to perform activities with high-velocity movement as categorised by NIUA. The load-bearing shell is designed specifically for the structure to hover all the activities around or in it. On the grounds of detailed load calculation, the concrete shell transfers weight to the supporting columns, ensuring the stability and safety of the concrete-shelled structure. The appealing red dune terrains allow children to run, play, jump, etc. and the credit goes to the topography of the terrains which helps in the segregation of zones based on different divisions, intensity of movement, and age groups.
