For schools & playgrounds

In designing the children's playground on the lyceum grounds, the architects aimed to reflect the relationship between humanity and metals, drawing on ideas related to the role of metals in the development of civilization.

Metals have shaped humanity's perception of "material." Through interaction with metals, people learned to harness their unique properties.

The project incorporated the following aspects:

• The aesthetic appeal of metals. Metal products are widely used in architecture and urban landscaping. They can serve as decorative elements, fences, sculptures, and monuments.
• The durability of metals. Metal products are long-lasting, making them suitable as testaments to a city's historical development, reflecting its culture and achievements across different eras.
• The influence of metals on social progress. The emergence of metal tools contributed not only to technical progress (in agriculture, construction, and crafts) but also to social progress—the formation of the first states coincides with the beginning of the Bronze Age.

Composition of the 10 Playgrounds

"Bureau Chekharda" developed and implemented a playground project for the kindergarten attached to the gymnasium and additional recreation areas for school students. We moved away from the conventional concept widely adopted elsewhere, where kindergartens have small identical playgrounds for each group. Instead, "Chekharda" created three themed playgrounds, each different in content and appearance. The space features swings, slides, stumps and logs for active play, educational and scientific elements, musical instruments, tactile walls and floor-based tactile elements, shelters for hideouts and rest... We considered the specific needs of children of different ages and incorporated elements for various types of activities and movement necessary for child brain development, following the principles of the neurodynamic approach and recent discoveries in neuropsychology. The result is an enriching environment where children never get bored: they can take turns exploring different playgrounds, each time engaging in something new. To separate the groups, the space is zoned using canopies that do not obstruct children's movement, along with geoplastics.

3 Playgrounds