BLOX Playground by Carve

Photographer: Courtesy of Jasper van der Schaaf

In May 2018, BLOX, a mixed-use building in Copenhagen designed by OMA, was festively inaugurated by the Danish Queen. BLOX is home to the Danish Architecture Center (DAC) and includes exhibition spaces, offices, a café, a bookshop, a fitness center, twenty-two apartments, and an underground car park.

Part of the complex is a publicly accessible, playable staircase, that carve and designed in collaboration with OMA. Apart from the playable tribune, Carve also designed a bespoke play structure and a sports field, which were specifically designed for this location. This playscape contributes to the liveliness of the harbourfront of Copenhagen and works as a catalyst for this very urban public space.

The tribune is an integral part of the BLOX-building and evokes movement and play; slides, trampolines, and netting where children can jump, climb and scramble are integrated into the large staircase. In several spots, the nets are spanned over a void, creating an exciting dialogue between 'up' and 'underneath'. Due to the height differences of the staircase, seats arise where parents can sit in between the playing children.

The vertical play element, wedged in between the tribune and the sports field, is a 3D maze consisting of honeycomb-shaped elements. It fits perfectly in the series of vertical play objects that carve has been renowned for. Also, this element allows for many children to play at the same time; the number of routes is endless. The upper part of the elements can be used for scaling and sliding. The honeycomb elements take on the ochre color of the surrounding buildings, whose yellow plastered facades are so typical for Danish housing.