Behind every great playground is a great design

Image: The Pulse Park, Denmark, CEBRA. Photo Credit: Mikkel Frost

Today, outdoor play faces tough competition—from electronics, overscheduling, declining recess time, and lack of access to safe play spaces. Kids today simply have too many other things to do. Additionally, safety and liability concerns overshadow the conversation around play’s central role in enhancing children’s physical, emotional, and social development.

Concerned that unstructured play might become a thing of the past, many architects, designers, and play advocates continue to explore the importance of well-designed public spaces that allow balanced, creative, and active play.

That’s why, in their new exhibition at BSA Space, Extraordinary Playscapes, the BSA Foundation explores the best of playground design from around the world, featuring more than 40 pioneering playscapes. Curated by Design Museum Foundation, Extraordinary Playscapes showcases the latest thinking in playground design and emphasizes how vital free play is to childhood development, thriving communities, and social equity.

“Our goal is to connect Boston to the free play movement through an exceptional public exhibition about the design of playscapes,” says Sam Aquillano, executive director of Design Museum Foundation and co-curator of the exhibition. “There are so many examples of extraordinary playscapes in the world, and we’re hoping to inspire Bostonians of all ages to get outside and play.”

The exhibition, which is free and open to the public between now and September 5 at BSA Space, also highlights many beautiful playscapes located in and around Boston! If you’re looking for a fun family activity to do with the kids this weekend, try going on a playground tour around the city with the exhibition’s Playground Passport.

PlayForm 7

Playworld. City Hall Plaza, Boston. Opened 2016. 1,480 sq. ft.

Discover PlayForm 7 — an exciting new “play sculpture” that merges play and public art. It’s designed to be played on and provides different experiences than a traditional playground. Playworld’s newly designed piece blends play forms with an array of architectural styles that inspire imaginative play. Climb, slide, hop, sit, socialize, and play your way through this new installation at City Hall Plaza.

PlayCubes™

Designed by Richard Dattner FAIA and Playword. Chinatown Park, Boston. Opened 2016. 5,000 sq ft.

Experience an urban adventure at PlayCubes in Chinatown Park. Originally introduced in the 1960s by architect Richard Dattner, PlayCubes are making a comeback through an exclusive partnership between Richard Dattner and Playworld. The installation in Boston is activating play along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway as part of the Extraordinary Playscapes summer program. Explore, jump, slide, and climb your way through this modular playground designed for open-ended play — the first-ever installation of the new design!

Frieda Garcia Park

Halvorson Design Partnership. Stanhope Street and Clarendon Street, Boston. Opened 2013. 12,000 sq ft.

Explore Frieda Garcia Park — a playful urban oasis in the heart of Back Bay. Filled with colorful climbing structures, unique swings, and beautiful art installations, the park encourages recreation and relaxation alike. Check out the park’s bright bird murals, custom play pieces, and relaxing gardens.

Alexander Kemp Playground

City of Cambridge and Robert Steck. 36 Waterhouse Street, Cambridge. Opened 2009. 10,000 sq ft.

Have a nature-play adventure at Alexander Kemp Playground. Set within the Cambridge Common, this site builds on the idea that playgrounds are places where children grow and learn about themselves and the world around them. Enjoy unique wooden play sculptures by local artist Mitch Ryerson, and explore the park’s interactive water and sand play features!

Thomas M. Menino Park

Spurr, Weston & Sampson’s Design Studio. 1st Avenue and 16th Street, Charlestown. Opened 2014. 108,900 sq ft.

Check out Mayor Thomas M. Menino Park — Boston’s first fully accessible playground. This universally inclusive waterfront play space has more than 60 pieces of equipment, including a carousel with room for wheelchairs. Traverse to the top of the park’s terraces for an adventurous climb and rewarding view of Boston’s skyline!

Hunt Playground

CBA Landscape Architects and the City of Boston. Almont Street and Orlando Street, Mattapan. Completed 2015. 16,360 sq ft.

Visit the new Tre’Vaughn Matthews Tot Lot at Hunt Playground. The renovated playground is a perfect place for energetic free-form play — filled with colorful equipment for sliding, climbing, and spinning, the tot lot even features a water splash pad for hot summer months. The 17-acre park is also home to basketball and tennis courts, a football field, walking paths, and picnic areas.

Extraordinary Playscapes, free and open to the public, is on view from June 8 to September 5, 2016 at BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston. The exhibition will travel to Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, California, and Chicago, Illinois through 2017.

For more information about the BSA, the BSA Foundation, BSA Space, or the Extraordinary Playscapes exhibition, please visit architects.org/bsaspace/exhibitions/extraordinary-playscapes.