Photographer Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Indigo Playgrounds

Beijing

The Indigo Playgrounds are set within a public/private park space of Beijing’s Jiuxianqaio District. The playgrounds are entirely separated and designed for the needs of two very different age levels of children.

The first playground appears as a perfect square set within the landscape. The square plan is carved into the earth framed by long wooden benches. This perimeter of parent seating creates a safe play zone for the little ones to run wild. To further enhance the sense of closure and protection, a tensile canopy of orange discs floats overhead. The discs cast a checkerboard of shadows across the soft play surfaces, cooling and shading the tots.

More adventurous children are welcomed further into the park to the ‘King of the Hill’ playground. Taking its namesake from the children’s game, a thrilling mountain occupies the center of the space. Arrays of pipes, climbing holds, and climbing ropes offer children a range of challenges to reach the coveted peak. A nest-like lookout on top of the peak is home to one Acer truncatum, the true king of this hill. Luxurious white marble slides offer summiteers an express routes down the mountain. Aside from the mountain the playground also includes islands featuring swings, spinners, and an additional climbing structure.

The Indigo Playgrounds project is wildly popular. Images of the packed playgrounds are often posted to social media with the tag ‘People Mountain, People Sea’ a Chinese idiom meaning people literally everywhere. Furthermore the playground has achieved what some consider the highest form of flattery: A facsimile of both Indigo Playgrounds has appeared elsewhere in China.

颐堤港儿童游乐场

北京

颐提港公园游乐场是一处位于北京市朝阳区酒仙桥的公共/私人公园。这个游乐园是分为两个部分的,完全根据两个不同年龄层儿童的需要而设计。

第一个游乐场是一个与景观完美相融合的正方形区域。这个场地由木制长椅围合成一个微微下沉的地块空间。这种为家长提供的休憩空间也划定了场地的界限,为孩子们创造了一个安全的游戏区,让他们可以尽情地玩耍。为了进一步增强围合感和保护感,橙色圆盘构成的天蓬悬浮在人们的头顶上。这些圆盘在柔软的游乐面上投射了一层棋盘状的阴影,为孩子们遮挡阳光,驱逐炎热。

我们欢迎更多热爱冒险的孩子们进一步深入公园,进入“王者之山”游乐场。顾名思义,这个游乐场的中心是一座惊险的山峰。为了到达令人垂涎的高峰,一排排管道,攀岩抓手和攀登绳为孩子们提供了一系列的挑战。山顶上巢状的瞭望台是一个胜利者( Acer truncatum)之家,也是这座山真正的国王的终点。豪华的白色大理石滑梯是游戏参与者下山的快速路线。 除了“王者之山”之外,游乐场还包括旋转飞翼秋千、螺旋平衡木和一个攀爬架。

颐提港公园游乐场这个项目非常受欢迎。 游乐场的照片经常以一个中国成语——“人山人海”的标签出现在社交媒体上,这意味着游乐场的游客无处不在。此外,游乐场已经获得了一些人所认为的最高形式的赞扬:这两个游乐场的山寨版一同被复制在中国的某个地方。