outdoor area of day care centre in erfurt

The goal of the preliminary draft for the new design of the outside area of the day care centre was to create a new play and adventure world for the children. Playful exploration of the environment and nature, acting out and developing their urge for movement and the promotion of creativity were at the heart of this.

The directly tangible basic elements earth, water and air, with which nature confronts us, shape childish perception of the environment and allow it to be apprehended in its full complexity. What theme is more appropriate to the relation to adventure play in natural surroundings than Robert Louis Stevenson’s world-famous Treasure Island? Starting from the ship Hispaniola, lying at anchor, the children reach, via the island path, the pirate village, the log cabin, Ben Gunn’s garden, the beach and the waterfall.

Over cobblestones the way leads into the wicker tunnel, later a wooden bridge grants a view over Treasure Island. The motley cabins of the Hispaniola serve on the one hand for hide and seek; on the other for parking mobile playground equipment. The canvas-spanned ship’s deck offers the children protection from the sun and evokes an association with sailing vessels.

Even the smallest pirates have the chance to turn the wheel on the afterdeck and to be one of those on board, protected from the sun and “other hazards”. Then there’s the tavern for drinking tea and eating cakes.
To bring even more colour into play on deck, multi-coloured flowers bloom in the flowerbed. This is tended like Ben Gunn’s vegetable garden by the pirates and the “ship’s crew” together.

Flags and pennants are hung on the Hispaniola’s anchor ropes, where the wind chime can be observed.