Project Name: Green Hill
Location: Finland
Client: Lappset Group Oy.
Type: Playground for 3 generations
Architect: Tengiz Alaverdashvili
Design Period: 2009
Status: Concept proposal
Awards: First Prize – Rethinking playground (International Design competition)
Publications:
Task:
The aim of this competition is to challenge traditional playground concepts. Lappset is looking for new, inspiring, brave and out of the box ideas for future Playgrounds. Lappset warmly welcomes imaginative and wild solutions where shape and form are combined with the beauty of landscape architecture. The core idea is to create a place where children, teens and elderly people can meet with each other - a meeting point that unites and engages three different family generations.
Lappset’s 3 Generations Playground concept is intended to encourage people to think about playgrounds from a totally new perspective. Rather than solely fulfilling the criteria of play for young children, Lappset believes that the playground plays a vital part in family and community interaction and should be inviting to people of all ages and gender to play and enjoy.
The core of the 3 Generations Concept is indiscrimination. Traditional and somewhat artificial conceptions about children, teens and adults are broken. Rather than adults and teens being just passive, or even somewhat anxious, observers to the playful delights of children, the aim is for them to be active participants who are also having fun.
Every piece of equipment in the area should be multifunctional and accessible to everyone regardless of their size, gender or age. The 3 Generations Concept takes into consideration the physical as well as the social side of play. The area and the equipment should stimulate the imagination and encourage people toward the imaginative discovery of the multilevel world of play. 3 Generations Playground enhances the unity of the community and builds a positive social context.
Concept:
The aim of this proposal is to create a universal space where all the three generations would feel comfortable. It should be a place that everyone will like, space where they can communicate with each other. Where one can play and have fun and the other one can just relax, watch others play and even join them. Project consists of three conceptual elements: “Green hill”, “Circular stair-bench” and “Street lamp forest“.
Green hill - You can walk around it, climb over, lie on a top, and just feel the nature. Nature is the place where everyone of every age feels comfortable, relaxed, healthy, joyful etc. This proposal offers everybody to get closer to the nature.
Circular stair-bench - It goes around the hill and consists of concrete structure and modular wooden elements. While older people can sit on it, younger ones can lie on a wooden bench and kids can even climb and run on the stairs, jump from there etc.
Street lamp forest - It serves for lighting, but also it is used a part of a playground. Random arrangement of posts imitates trees in the forest. Kids can run between these metal trees trying to catch each other, young couples can lean against the post to give each other a kiss on a romantic night under the soft lightning of the street lamp.
Playground can be used successfully according to its concept on every season of the year.
Jury Report:
The jury selected the entry “Green Hill” by Tengiz Alaverdashvili from Tbilisi, Georgia, as winner of the first prize. The jury pointed out that his work is simple and inviting landscape and at the same time pure. It has a relaxing atmosphere, easy to have social contacts – a meeting place for 3G. It also allows free play and gives opportunities for free play. It is suitable for several surroundings and for different seasons. The element of lightning is also a playful element at the same time.
The winner Tengiz Alaverdashvili was explaining the history of his idea as follows:
“After trying some other solutions for the playground concept, placing some artificial elements on the ground I was thinking of the idea "one size fits all”. And finally I came to the idea that the nature is the place where everybody of every age likes to be. The first thing that reminds me of the nature is the green grass. The flat place with just a green grass is not an architectural solution. To make it more interesting I have created a small hill. The second thing about the nature are trees, so I placed the street lamps randomly around the hill imitating trees in the forest. The circular bench came out of joining two elements - stair and the seat. Its circular form was defined by the hill. There's a gap on one side of the stair-bench to leave some place for those who prefer to climb the hill or run down from there without using stairs. By mixing concrete and wooden elements, the bench becomes more interesting. For every next playground can be used a different combination.”
The winner Tengiz Alaverdashvili was explaining the history of his idea as follows:
“After trying some other solutions for the playground concept, placing some artificial elements on the ground I was thinking of the idea "one size fits all”. And finally I came to the idea that the nature is the place where everybody of every age likes to be. The first thing that reminds me of the nature is the green grass. The flat place with just a green grass is not an architectural solution. To make it more interesting I have created a small hill. The second thing about the nature are trees, so I placed the street lamps randomly around the hill imitating trees in the forest. The circular bench came out of joining two elements - stair and the seat. Its circular form was defined by the hill. There's a gap on one side of the stair-bench to leave some place for those who prefer to climb the hill or run down from there without using stairs. By mixing concrete and wooden elements, the bench becomes more interesting. For every next playground can be used a different combination.”
