Creative Kids: An Accessible Inclusive Indoor Playground

23 March, 2023

Name: Trikon Architects Year: 2022 Location: West Panthapath, Dhaka Client: Yahia Md Amin

Panthapath, a vibrant urban center in Dhaka, is a mixed-use district surrounded by major residential areas containing half the required open space for residents. The lack of open spaces essential for children’s healthy social development prompted the creation of an accessible, inclusive indoor playground ‘Creative Kids’. This indoor facility is designed by Trikon Architects in collaboration with Child Psychologists, clients, and potential user groups to promote intellectual, psychomotor and cognitive development in children. – Editor

An accessible inclusive playground provides engaging and meaningful play opportunities for all children regardless of abilities. It fosters children’s social interactions and cognitive growth. It also celebrates diversity by ensuring everyone can participate in playground activities. It allows children of all developmental stages to enjoy the same play area on their own terms, addressing their own comfort and enjoyment requirements.

Floor plan of Creative Kids © Trikon Architects

The design concept of Creative Kids is underpinned by research findings on children’s psychological, social, and behavioural appearance. The design is derived from the notion of creating an accessible and friendly space for children as well as a center for interaction with their community. A set of activities have been designed as a series of stories that offer children to recreate their own narratives. The activity spaces provide an intriguing playing environment that will aid in the creative and intellectual abilities of the children.

A commercial building in Panthapath has been repurposed as an indoor playground. The play area includes several child-friendly interactive spaces on multiple levels. It encourages interactions between kids irrespective of their age, gender, or classification. Different zones tell different stories accommodated in a free-flowing space that allows universal access to most of the activity areas. Services like lockers, toilets, and learning resources are textured with graffiti that also promotes global learning and is inclusively accessible.

The spatial connectedness in design is well articulated and related to many zones that emerge fluidly from one another. The whole play zone has been built with a thematic narrative and adopts a rich and bold color combination to create a vibrant and playful space. For example, there is a double-decker playbus that allows nine kids together to meet and learn socialization by interacting on an intimate scale. Facilities for visitors like a traditional café are placed in a central location for allowing individuals to watch over the activities across the floor. Accessibility of the kid’s zone allows guardians to stay around and assist the children in developing many cognitive skills, while also interacting with the people of their community.

Creative Kids offers a child an array of possibilities to explore. The indoor space overlooking the city allows sufficient natural light and minimizes energy consumption during the day. Here children and their parents perform together to build strong social bonds. The activity spaces ensure safety, accessibility and inclusivity to grow and learn together.