08-11-2013
An unusual playground. Studio derksen|windt architects, the Netherlands
derksen|windt architects of the Netherlands combine technological systems and a playground in a new kind of symbiosis in their recent redevelopment of an old water pumping station.
The young architects of derksen|windt have come up with a new way of incorporating traditional Dutch engineering works into their social context.
Their project has given a pumping station used to lower the level of the aquifer a “facelift” with contemporary materials such as the perforated aluminium panels that form a semi-transparent curtain between the built volumes and the new outdoor play areas. The station has been redesigned so that it is no longer separate from the town’s social life, but becomes a gathering place and a space where children can play and adults can socialise.
A lighting system makes this new concept of an urban area usable even after nightfall, underlining its role as a landmark and transforming it into a lantern defending the neighbourhood’s safety and prestige.
Christiane Bürklein
Design: derksen|windt architects, http://derksenwindtarchitecten.nl
Year: 2013
Location: The Netherlands
Photos: © René de Wit
