The relationship between young and old takes on a whole new meaning here: in the courtyard of the former AEG production facilities from 1890, these imposing, mighty brick buildings, the small but beautiful playground looks miniature. The bilingual Phorms-Campus Mitte - where children are taught in German and English - comprises a nursery, an elementary school and a secondary school.

According to the architects, it was a major challenge to create two schoolyards with attractive play areas for young and older children in the two courtyards of the listed ensemble. Various requirements had to be met. For example, large areas had to be kept free for the fire department, leaving little space for the play areas. The architects therefore developed a vertical solution instead of a horizontal one: Baukind Architekten designed a very special climbing castle for the first courtyard, where there used to be just a sandpit. They created an exciting adventure play area from containers, with square-cut openings, corridors, slides, stairs and terraces. The children can climb, romp and hide here. A second level of staggered wooden cubes has been built on top of the containers, which have been left unfinished on the outside. The wooden slat cladding lets light into the interior and brings the warmth of wood inside. The game with windows at different heights adapts to the height of the children.

Baukind planned a large area with balancing poles in a bamboo forest in the second courtyard, which has yet to grow. Here, too, movement, coordination and hiding are offered together. As the entire area of the courtyards has a basement, all the play equipment, sandboxes and beds had to be built up instead of dug down and closely coordinated with the structural design of the basement. One advantage of this construction method: Beautiful seating areas have been created everywhere around the beds and sandpits. In total, the architects designed an area of 2,000 m² in the courtyards and 5,000 m² in the interior. Baukind show here how open space design, architecture and interior design can positively support children and create an environment that has a stimulating or calming effect, depending on requirements.

Photos:
Hejm Photo
www.hejm.net

(Published in CUBE Berlin 03|24)