Cool Playgrounds

Cool Hunter recently posted a playground by CARVE in the Netherlands that offered a refreshing alternative to the typical, stale playgrounds found in the United States. Even though the children must feel like caged animals when they are playing within the wall-holla structure, they look like they are having fun. It reminded me of the interesting playgrounds that I have run across in Barcelona, which offered interactive playgrounds for children. My favorite allowed children to play music (i.e. whistle, chimes) by jumping on various elements (i.e. levers, metal grids), spinning on their own personal merry-go-round, and wobbling around in an aluminum dish. They sure looked like they were having a great time. The aluminum slide integrated into the hillside also looked like fun, but it must have been hot. Safety of children is important when designing playground, but it seems something has been lost in the U.S. when designers have to follow such strict regulations and choose from the monotony of off the shelf play structures.