Bamboo Playground

The space that the school allocated for the project was at the border of the central open space that was mostly used by kids to play soccer. The designated area was initially a rubbish dump behind the school bathroom. The design team spent an entire week clearing the site by cleaning up and disposing the trash. The efforts paid off when the most ‘problematic’ part of the school was transformed into a desirable space for the kids, in effect optimising the limited area for recreational purposes.

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The approach undertaken by the architects was to “create a ‘micronarrative’ out of a series of imagination-fuelled, self-directed games into a kind of parkour.” The design of the structure allows for games that give the children the freedom to explore different ways of engagement and interactivity with it.

Both ends of the ribbon-like structure are inviting, welcoming the kids to play. One end starts as a bamboo mat floor under a tree, the other as a tilted pergola—kids can play on top, around and underneath the structure. The circular shape of the structure contrasts with the architecture of the school and creates a special place on the site and in the minds of the kids, one that is playful and different.

Additionally, the Bamboo Playground serves to address an unconsidered, informal public space in the city—an above-ground water pipeline that over time became a pedestrian highway.

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PROJECT DATA

Project Name
Bamboo Playground

Location
Yangon, Myanmar

Completion Date
2019

Site Area
300 square metres

Gross Floor Area
95 square metres

Building Height
7 metres

Client/Owner
Local middle school

Architecture Firm
Blue Temple

Principal Architect
Raphaël Ascoli

Main Contractor
Monkey Joint

Images/Photos
Matias Bercovich

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To Infinity and Beyond

MORE THAN JUST CHILD’S PLAY For some of us, some of the most fun or memorable times would be during recess or break time in between study periods when we were in primary/ elementary or middle school. For those few precious minutes, some kids would rush to grab a bite, while others would burst into a common square or schoolyard to play and expend their ‘potential’ energies. In this way, play areas in schools can be considered ‘in-between’ spaces insofar as they are occupied by the kids in between lesson periods or in between after-school and home; and the areas […]

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