Neighbourhood playground in Thanh Tam Tay hamlet, Cam Thanh, Hoi An city is one of the first two playgrounds sponsored by Action Center for City Development (ACCD, Vietnam) and Health Bridge (Canada). 1+1>2 studio was responsible for architectural design and supervision of the construction.
Subjected to serve local neighborhood, the project drew along a great involvement of the community. Local residents - including children, architectures, workers, etc. - joined all phases of the project, from designing to building the playground.
Architects came up with a set of architectural and technical solutions that met three targets of the project: quick, nice and cheap. They used cheap and on hand materials such as steel frames, corrugated iron sheets, bamboo, ropes,… together with other recycled materials such as car tires. Local residents helped building the playground so that labor cost was minimized. All existing trees were maintained for natural shade.
The playground was shaped in a manner that match with the rather complicated contour of the land. It was organized as a multi-function space consisting of many playing areas with different heights and equipments.
The playground is not an ordinary “roofed room” but a highly interactive and open space. It is meant to stimulate children’s creativity, adventurous and group activities meanwhile keep them safe. The playground, in fact, has received great feedbacks from the public and other 12 similar ones will be replicated around Hoi An soon.