Evelyn Court Playground
Evelyn Court, a high-density housing estate in Hackney, lacked usable communal open space. The only existing green space was disconnected and fenced off, situated adjacent to the estate at a raised level, above an existing play area for young children.
Our main objectives for the playground design was to open up the whole of the green space for users of all age groups, and to create a playable connection between the green space and the estate.
Our design comprises of a series of sliced mounds of differing characters, which mediate between the existing levels, creating new access routes and desire lines.
The mounds are either solid earth forms or made out of timber or climbing nets. They offer exciting spaces on top, underneath and in-between for both play and socialising. These in-between spaces facilitate different rhythms and speeds of activities. They are as valued by the children as the more traditional pieces of play equipment, providing incentive to imaginatively explore, inhabit and take ownership of the playground.