Jewish Museum Berlin opens new children’s play space

Children playing in the picture to the left, raising a bucket with a chain to the higher ground. The "playground" is a wooden arc, made of multiple leaves, and filled with wooden animals, and different wood objects. — (Image credit: Yves Sucksdorff, Hufton & Crow)

The new ANOHA Children’s World, at the the Jewish Museum Berlin, is a vast new children’s play space designed with adults firmly in mind too. Situated in a former wholesale flower market in the Kreuzberg district, it converts the story of Noah’s Ark into a rich and interactive playground.

The wooden ark, designed by US-based Olson Kundig architecture and design practice, sits at an impressive 7m tall and measures 28m in diameter. It is surrounded by 150 wooden animal sculptures, setting a scene for the children to interpret as they wish.

Wooden arc structure photographed from above.

Wooden arc "playground". A child is running down the slopped path to the left, divided by a metal fence from the rest of the space. To the right, we see two wooden sculptures, a big one of an elephant, and the much smaller one of sheep.

When designing a children’s play space, says Olson Kundig design principal Alan Maskin, ‘the most important consideration is to not design for children but to design for everyone. Research supports the idea that children have their most memorable museum experiences when shared with family and friends. As a designer, my goal is to get parents to put down their cell phones and play alongside their children. ANOHA is intended to be as interesting, engaging and compelling to adults as to the very young, and to make play irresistible to all ages.’

It is a philosophy reflected in the design of the space, which intertwines play with functionality – children get around by slides, on climbing structures and workbenches. They can build their own boat and test it in a flood simulator, develop their own animals from organic materials and learn about the composting process through interactive games.

Throughout, children have full control. ‘Children, as a construct of being cared for by adults and having their parents manage all aspects of their lives, have few opportunities for control and personal choice,’ points out Maskin. ‘Here the design gives them that sense of agency and control over how and where they choose to play. Function manifested as play is embedded in the ways children have fun.

Wooden arc "playground". We see two wooden sculptures, a big one of an elephant, and the much smaller one of a crocodile.

Wooden arc "playground". We see multiple wooden sculptures of different sizes - an elephant, a unicorn, a turtle, and many others.

INFORMATION

jmberlin.de/en/ANOHA

Hannah Silver is a writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in journalism, spanning national newspapers and independent magazines. Currently Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles for print and digital, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury since joining in 2019.