My Dream Playground: Children’s Playground Design

This study aims to present “Children’s Playground Design in İzmir Child Protection Center” as a social responsibility project designed by design team in İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design. In this study, the process of transforming children's dream playgrounds into a design project was shared. In this design journey, it was explained how to design for play and how common play areas for different age groups are constructed. Within the scope of this study, a workshop titled “My Dream Playground” was held with children from different age groups and their educators. During this workshop, a preference determination questionnaire consisting of pictures and a semi-structured interview were made. In the light of the results of the “My Dream Playground” workshop and semi-structured interviews with children and educators, design inputs have been created by the design team. Abandoned sites inside the child protection center was selected and revitalized with this purpose where children from different age groups can play and learn from each other. In addition, educators, namely adults, were included in the playground design process and a strong communication bridge was established between them and the children through play. This project has become a meeting point for adults as well as children from different age groups. At the same time, we as designers experienced the power of design once again by developing a social responsibility project.

Keywords: Play, playground design, mixed-age play, social responsibility

This study aims to present “Children’s Playground Design in İzmir Child Protection Center” as a social responsibility project designed by design team in İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design. In this study, the process of transforming children's dream playgrounds into a design project was shared. In this design journey, it was explained how to design for play and how common play areas for different age groups are constructed. Within the scope of this study, a workshop titled “My Dream Playground” was held with children from different age groups and their educators. During this workshop, a preference determination questionnaire consisting of pictures and a semi-structured interview were made. In the light of the results of the “My Dream Playground” workshop and semi-structured interviews with children and educators, design inputs have been created by the design team. Abandoned sites inside the child protection center was selected and revitalized with this purpose where children from different age groups can play and learn from each other. In addition, educators, namely adults, were included in the playground design process and a strong communication bridge was established between them and the children through play. This project has become a meeting point for adults as well as children from different age groups. At the same time, we as designers experienced the power of design once again by developing a social responsibility project.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Play, playground design, mixed-age play, social responsibility