The playground SAGA - a healing journey through play
In Copenhagen (Denmark) where only 3% of all playgrounds are handicap-friendly, “Saga” will be a space where children can play together regardless of their disability and ability. This inclusive playground is designed with medical experts, researchers and users, for the city’s new Neurorehabilitation House, a treatment centre for patients with brain or spinal cord damage. Saga will also be accessible for close relatives of patients and to the local community to share this immersive, stimulating environment inspired by Iceland’s vibrant nature.
Local
Denmark
COPENHAGEN
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
First name: Isabella Last name: Jin Kjær Jensen Gender: Female Age: 25 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Denmark Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Esromgade 4C 4th floor Town: Copenhagen Postal code: 2200 Country: Denmark Direct Tel:+45 31 95 50 37 E-mail:isabellakjaer@status-works.com Website:https://status-works.com/
First name: Selma Last name: Tas Gender: Female Age: 30 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Denmark Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: blaagaardsgade 27 4.th Town: Copenhagen Postal code: 2200 Country: Denmark Direct Tel:+45 30 56 56 87 E-mail:selmatas@status-works.com Website:https://status-works.com/
In Denmark, the reality is that public playgrounds are not accessible to all children. It is actually only 3% of all Copenhagen playgrounds that are handicap-friendly. In our view, no person is disabled, but the design of the environment can be disabling in itself.
That is why we as strategic designers see it as our responsibility to design solutions for health through collaborative partnerships with medical experts, researchers and users who are included in the very beginning of the process.
We included the former patient Saga, a half Icelandic girl who at 9 years old had to go through a traumatic and complicated journey at the hospital. Sagas' lived experiences influenced the purpose and the design of the playground in order to create a functional and meaningful space.
At the playground SAGA, you will go through a magical path surrounded by wild Icelandic nature where the rehabilitation elements are designed to be a natural part of the universe. This gives the users the opportunity to improve their abilities through play and sensory experiences in an immersive environment.
The playground SAGA is a project for Copenhagen’s new Neurorehabilitation House - Bodil Eskesen Centret, as a treatment center for patients, including children, with brain or spinal cord damage. The playground is designed to give the children the opportunity to have a break away from the hospital environment through outdoor play. The playground will also be a meeting point for the closest relatives and citizens in the local community with access to use the playground in order to support all users across life situations.
The playground has received 1 million DKK from Simon Fougner Hartmanns Family Fund and will open in summer 2023.
The project was initiated by MA - Strategic Design & Entrepreneurship from The Royal Danish Academy of Architecture, Design and Conservation, Copenhagen Business School and Rigshospitalet.
Inclusion
Accessibilty
Co-creation
Health
Sensoric
Social Sustainability
This project has the overall objective of being an example of how to design for social sustainability in a public space.
The intention of the playground is to encourage diverse interaction no matter your physical or mental attributes.The individual who previously would be going through rehabilitation behind hospital walls, now has access to public and outdoor rehabilitation. The aesthetics of the designs creates a beautiful and uplifting space and invites the locals to interact with the patients. This is an example of a design solution that creates transparency and diversity of our society.
Biodiversity:
The nature designed for the playground is based on the principle that nature must be allowed to be wild and grow naturally which will contribute to the sensory stimuli. This attracts insects, plants and animals that live and grow at the site and hereby increases the biodiversity of the local area. The imperfect and diverse nature enhances the experience of the hyper nature found in Iceland. Waterfalls and geysers play an important role in the Icelandic ecosystem. This is why waterfalls and watermist is incorporated in the design of the playground, with the intention of sustaining the local biodiversity at and around the playground environment.
Another advantage of choosing wild nature is that this option requires a low maintenance effort, which can ultimately save resources for the hospital.
Material Preservation:
Materials used for the playground are highly focused on sustainable resources and methods. One example is using burned wood which is an old icelandic preservation technique that extends the life of the material.
The definition of SAGA is a heroic tale where the hero overcomes difficult challenges on a long and complicated journey. The playground is therefore designed as a path resembling the long and complicated journey the patients at the hospitals are going through. The elements of the playground are divided into these following areas:
The Village
In the village there is opportunity to engage in play through the use of senses. The first example is the wooden cabins where you can play in a social setting or retreat without being over-stimulated. In each cabin is a sound pipe going from one cabin to another, that gives children the opportunity to practice their sound and audio skills by communicating with others. Another key element is the sand tables where wheelchair and non wheelchair users can sit together and train their fine motor skills through play.
The Highland
The path of the playground takes you on a journey through the mountain in order to experience it from within. Inside the mountain you will find small sources of light that resemble mountain crystals. To emphasize the magical experience there are holes as windows which gives the user the opportunity to see the sky above.
The Fog Valley
This area includes the waterfall and lake, which makes it possible for the users to touch and listen to water with its calming effect. Another use of water that resembles the Icelandic geysers is the watermist released from the ground up into the air. This makes it possible for wheelchair users to drive through and interact with the fog. This is a method to motivate movement for rehabilitation through play.
Universal design
The playground is an example of universal design that offers all citizens access to equal play regardless of their disability and ability. Creating equal opportunities in outdoor play is an important commitment for our society. Children with disabilities are generally underrepresented in leisure activities, primarily because there is a shortage of availability.
Outdoor Rehabilitation
This project strives to integrate play in the treatment of children to promote rehabilitation and the well-being of patients during hospital stay. With outdoor activities, the daily learning is moved from bed rooms and gyms out into nature. The aim of the outdoor rehabilitation is that the patients must regain the ability to independently master everyday life.
The concept of this project is inclusive and is considering the following user groups:
Children with brain and spinal cord damage
The design elements are specifically created to be accessible for children with or without a wheelchair, with the idea of not separating children based on abilities. The design of the playground is created based on the needs of a wheelchair user from the very beginning. This has all along the process been the main strategy as a method to make sure the considerations of a wheelchair user was not an afterthought in order not to make the mistake of adding “handicap friendly” attributes later on.
Next of kin
The playground is also accessible for the patients' next of kin such as parents, siblings and close relatives. The insights of the next of kin has also been included in the design process as they play a key role in a patients' rehabilitation journey. The playground gives the next of kin the space to engage with other families in the same situation and to take a break outside the hospital walls.
Medical professionals
The medical professionals have the responsibility of managing the rehabilitation of each patient. The playground creates the opportunities for the medical professionals to explore rehabilitation practices in a new context. The outdoor nature and sensoric elements motivates learning through play in an exciting and diverse work environment.
Local community
The playground is public property and is therefore accessible for all. The design and aesthetics of the playground invites the locals to take part of and play together alongside the patients staying at the hospital.
Medical Professionals at Rigshospitalet
The medical professionals at Rigshospitalet, were included in the research process of the project in order to gain insights of the current practices of rehabilitation of patients of the neurorehabilitation department.
Former patient Saga and next of kin
From the very beginning it has been crucial to include the patients using the playground. Because of the safety regulations, it had been difficult to include current patients to take part in the design process. It was possible to get in touch with Saga, a former patient of the neurorehabilitation department and her mom Sabine Høgh who were excited to be included in the process. By inviting Saga and her mom to a co-creation workshops, the project gained crucial insights and inspiration, creating the foundation for the overall concept.
The Academy
This project was developed as a part of the Master programme Strategic Design and Entrepreneurship at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. The Academy created the formalities and framing for the project, including supervision and feedback.
Royal Danish Academy:
The strategic designers Isabella Jin Kjær Jensen and Selma Tas have a product design background and are part of the MA Stragegic Design and Entrepreneurship programme from The Royal Danish Academy of Architecture Design and Conservation. The designers are behind the concept creation, storytelling, ideation sketches, facilitation of co-creation workshops, prototyping of physical mock-ups and 3D digital renderings for presentations. The project has been supervised by Karina Mose, Associate Professor, Architect MAA, Industrial Designer at Royal Danish Academy.
Copenhagen Business School:
Students Pedro Ferreira Granacha, Anna Lisa Hoby and Emilie Victoria Ferraro Steuch from the Copenhagen Business School have taken part of the overall project with the primary responsibility of fundraising and project management.
Client, Rigshospitalet:
Our client Ditte Thøgersen has been part of this project by providing a brief and having the responsibility as project lead in direct connection with the team.
Landscape architects Kragh & Berglund:
Hans Kragh and Viktor Forchhammer Mortensen from Kragh & Berglund have been selected to participate in the project and have created the technical drawings and implementation plan for realisation. This collaboration has been necessary, primarily due to the enormous amount of soil which became a challenge after the initial concept was presented. The Strategic Designers Isabella and Selma, got the roles of consultants and creative leads in collaboration with Kragh & Berglund to help keep the concept aligned with the new challenge of incorporating a large amount of soil into the design.
User Inclusive Process
The innovative characteristics of the concept SAGA is how the main focus is on user inclusion is a key method to creating a design solution for social responsibility. The Playground SAGA distincts from other inclusive playgrounds as the universe is created with the user as an active participant in the process. The design hereby contributes to the overall possibilities for play when using a wheelchair.
Sensoric Rehabilitation in Nature
Another key element to the playground is how the design offers learning sensoric rehabilitation in nature. By imitating the magical nature of Iceland, the playground becomes an adventurous and immersive universe. This design direction avoids childish mainstream solutions, which is often experienced at regular playgrounds.
The playground SAGA is an example of how to create a meaningful and inclusive design solution. In the development of the playground, multiple stakeholders were involved which has led to an inclusive design solution. With this project we aim to inspire future projects in the field and hereby emphasize how by giving the users the space to share stories can lead to meaningful solutions.
Key takeaways:
- Research and field study observations from the perspective of the user.
- Invite researchers, medical professionals and users to co-creation workshops.
- Inspiration from true stories will be reflected and lead to meaningful outcomes.
The SAGA playground addresses on the following goals:
UN Goal 3. Health and Well-Being
The playground facilitates play and physical activity. The outdoor universe brings people together with a view to promoting well-being, mental and physical health.
UN Goal 10. Reduce Inequalities
The playground seeks to reduce the uneven accessibility to playgrounds by being the meeting point for shared play. This goal is not only reflected in the playground but also in the process of developing the playground by including multiple stakeholders.
UN Goal 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
The playground is both based on universal design and outdoor rehabilitation with a view to promoting accessible playgrounds in the Capital Region of Denmark and hereby encouraging increased outdoor activity at the Bodil Eskesen Centret.
