The Netherlands
Playground for small children
A playground for small children is situated in the
northern part of the park, an area chosen for
its proximity to the farm, as both places attract
the same public. The playground is a green oasis
within the park. It contains various items of simple
playground equipment, meant mainly for children
between the ages of two and four. An extra accent
is provided by brightly coloured surfaces. To allow
for longer stays, for instance, when a children’s
party is combined with a visit to the urban farm, two
picnic tables have been provided.Seating areas
As stated above, the concrete kerb around the hill
and the concrete edge around the dog-walking area
provide ample seating. A more conventional sitting
space is provided on the other side – the western
side – of the hill. The space, a square plateau, is
characterised by specially designed benches, a cir-cular herbaceous plant bed, a triangular pergola and
oval hedges, all smaller-scale echoes of the park’s
overall design.The pergola was designed especially for this site. Its
basic triangular shape is repeated in the division of
the ‘roof’, which creates an interesting interplay of
shadows on the paving. Although construction costs
meant that the posts are square rather than triangu-
lar, the overall effect has not been compromised.The playing field
The playing field lies at a good distance from the sit-
ting area, and is slightly separated from the residen-
tial buildings by an embankment. It owes its spatial
visibility to a row of poplars – a common feature of
this former polder landscape, where they are used
as windbreaks around orchards. Compositional bal-
ance is provided by the black concrete strips that
border the playing field and the poplars.6.19a
Plan and section of the pergola