Taking play and infusing it with a healthy bit of danger, the Archipelago Playscape is a thoughtful structure, designed by Jakub Szczęsny and Karolina Potębska, in collaboration with Rainer Stadlbauer, for Kinder Kunst Labor, a wood and concrete children’s museum right in the heart of Altoona Park in St. Pölten, Austria. The designers were tasked with creating a multi-sensory indoor play area that catered to small children that also addressed the continued tendency to over-secure these kinds of spaces. The designers asked themselves: “How far could we go in making a space less devoid of potential risks?” Children need to learn to take some risks in order to build confidence, yet they also must be given places to do so. The Archipelago Playscape is a perfect place to get wild, while developing essential skills in the process.
Constant monitoring and overscheduling has left kids of the gentle parenting generation somewhat unprepared for the trials and tribulations that we can face as adults. The Window of Tolerance is a neuroscientific model that describes the best state of stimulation in which we are able to best live our lives. Short stints in hypoarousal (shutdown, freeze state) and hyperarousal (chaos, overwhelm) are normal as we navigate life, yet spending too long in these states can lead to neurological changes that impact us throughout our lives. Archipelago Playscape exists neatly within this spectrum, providing considered areas and functions that we wouldn’t normally see.
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Kids build fine motor skills, self-trust, imagination skills, and more through experimenting in the physical world. As so much is new to them, practice is essential, forming a mass of data points that will shape their understanding of the world. Without a varied experience, kids will naturally become afraid, or unknowingly engage in risky behaviors later in life, unaware of the consequences. Extra precautions were taken to ensure that children would be a bit careful when navigating the wooden structure, with a maximum height of 47 inches and angles no bigger than 15%. And yet, it still seems welcoming, fun, and open-ended, not interested in leading children through a set, prescribed path. A semi-matte finish gives it a bit of grip, but not too much, allowing children to navigate distinct planes similar to natural terrain.
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Archipelago Playscape offers a multitude of other fun activities as well – a “forest of ropes” featuring a composition of thick ropes that promotes motor skills, and a large bowl filled with space sand that allows kids to test out tactility. A set of steel profiles on the wall mimics a waterfall, promoting calm and offers auditory feedback, and a three-level ramp finishing with an elevated niche as a hide-out allows for a space to retreat and feel safe.
Jakub Szczęsny is a storyteller and designer based in Warsaw that finds the field of art and its applications a more adequate place for narratives than architecture. Working in accessory, clothing, and furniture design to larger scale projects such as exhibition design and interiors, he recognizes the importance of contextual analysis and inherent humanity in any design-related work.
Karolina Potębska is a designer dedicated to the cultural and sociological background of a space. Local context is everything, inscribing distinct meaning in materiality and consideration. Founding her own studio in 2020 has given her unique insight into her comprehensive approach, allowing her to carry out multidisciplinary projects for private clients and public institutions alike.
To learn more about the Archipelago Playscape, visit szcz.com.pl.
Photography by Patrick Johannsen, Max Kropitz, and Jakub Szczęsny.