How can play areas in cities open up new ways to interact with and experience space?
This was the question that prompted Mexico City's Laboratorio para la Ciudad to host the "Urban Toys" competition, seeking architectural proposals for temporary urban interventions that will reactivate underused public spaces through play and amusement. 86 total proposals were received.
"Urban toys" are multi-functional objects adapted to the public space where they are installed; they respond to children's demand for play areas and new ways to explore the world. They are artifacts that push the boundaries for playground equipment, defying the traditional play areas that are usually installed in public spaces, such as swing sets, slides and other standardized plastic modules.
Each selected team will receive a prize of 50,000 Mexican pesos (approx 2,630 US Dollars), and the "urban toys" will soon be installed in three of Mexico City's public squares, where workshops for psychological development will take place as well in order to generate a more resilient city.
The selected projects were:
PLAZA LORETO
Project title: Aros
Office: PALMA
Team leader: Diego Escamilla
Team: Regina de Hoyos, Ilse Cárdenas, Juan Luis Rivera, Tonatiuh Armenta
PLAZA SANTA CATARINA
Project title: Polerama
Office: Estudio OOMO
Team leader: Cassandra Gutiérrez
Team: Beatriz Rico, Alejandro Mora
PARQUE DE LA EQUIDAD
Project title: Donde viven los monstruos
Office: bandada! studio
Team leader: Fermín Espinosa
Team: Iván Valero, Paola Silva, Guillaume Beauchesne, Héctor Delgado, Gerardo Salinas, Mattia Brambilia, Raúl Rodarte
From ArchDaily, congratulations to the selected teams.
