Back in 1990, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child legally recognised every child’s fundamental right to rest, leisure, and play. In an ideal world, it’s an abided-by mandate. But in disaster-relief zones – where play might be a much-needed medicine – places for child recreation are a rare amenity rather than a guaranteed right.
With most disaster-relief zones lacking play equipment, or at best, featuring a handful of semi-functional donations, design charity Playrise, in collaboration with architects OMMX and engineers Webb Yates, set out to develop a more intentional flatpack play system designed to provide children with places for joy despite the looming impacts of geopolitics.
Playrise: shifting the culture of play design
While a licence to play can be a valuable form of psychosocial aid, working within temporary settlements where stability is rare and space is constantly negotiated, offers a series of shifting challenges. With shared communal spaces needing to host multiple functions, something more applicable than a typical fixed playground was needed, notes co-director of Playrise Alexander Meininger. 'There's really no desire for any permanent installation because it gives this impression that these are also permanent conditions.'
Guided by a grassroots approach, Playrise organised co-design workshops with families affected by displacement. From Sudanese communities living in the desert landscape of Aysaita, Ethiopia, to compact courtyards housing Palestinian refugees in Cairo, the core idea emerged to be simple – build something modular and something that communities put together and curate themselves.
Made from Iroko hardwood timber and fixed with standard metal bolts, Lego-like slots milled into the wood allow the structure to be continually upscaled and downscaled for space requirements and a range of ages and physical abilities. Meanwhile, add-on components like rope walls, musical instruments, and basketball hoops can be tacked on to amp up play options, meaning the construction process becomes an imaginative part of the recreation.
With much of the play furniture made with Western climates and cultures in mind, Hikaru Nissanke, director of OMMX, remarks on how so much of it isn't applicable in other environments. 'In Ethiopia, metal playground equipment is totally unusable. In 80-90 degrees heat, the metal frame becomes scolding, and at that point, you're also constantly trying to hunt for shade.'
With 48 million children displaced by conflict and violence, there's a distinct demographic of children lacking the resources to explore their imaginations through play
In contrast, timber construction stays cool, a solid form shields against the heat, while fixing holes have the added benefit of forming canopies of dappling light underneath. Fabric coverings and shaded nooks create a space geared to more sensory and solitary activities, giving space to other forms of recreation aside from the hyperactive sport of jumping, running and climbing.
With 48 million children displaced by conflict and violence, there's a distinct demographic of children lacking the resources to exercise cognitive ability and explore their imaginations through play. Having unveiled its debut prototype earlier this year, the funding mission continues to supply six sets of play equipment to villages across Gaza. The aim is to continue reaching more communities and more children.
While the idea was born in response to disaster-relief contexts, Meinger notes there is no reason it cannot reshape how we think about play closer to home. As he puts it, 'it is designed for any child without access to playgrounds, and it’s all about creating spaces that can be adapted and shaped by the communities that use them'.
