Designing playgrounds for adults too?

Let’s see what answer we can give to the question of the headline that heads these lines. To begin with, we can affirm that, indeed, there are several examples of “children’s” parks in which the design of their games and attractions was made suitable for adults. Probably the most notable examples in the world, although not the only ones, are the Mega Swing, in the Salyut playground, in Moscow’s Gorky Park, the largest in Russia, and the Anna C. Verna Playground, in Frank Delano Roosevelt Park, in South Philadelphia, United States, the latter the largest swing in North America.

The Mega Swing in Slayut Park is thanks to a design by AFA Group, which also carried out its construction, in collaboration with the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. The Anna C. Verna Playground, meanwhile, is the work of WRT Design, in collaboration with game consultants Studio Ludo. In any case, both facilities are characterized by being attractions for a family audience or, in other words, of all ages; or, in still other words—or numbers—from 0 to 99 years of age.

The Mega Swing of the Salyut playground (the name – “Салют” – amongst other things means “fireworks, in reference to a figurative explosion of opportunities for play, party and adventure), is an elliptical steel structure, almost 43 m long, with 29 swings of different types, which is illuminated at night with multicoloured LED lights. In contrast, the Anna C. Verna Playground swing in Philadelphia, another elliptical steel structure measuring approximately 30 by 36 m, has 20 swings of five different types.

Swings with chairs for babies, simple one-seat swings, basket swings to lie down and watch the sky, tandem swings for two, collaborative, collective, adaptable, heavy, light, rocker type, for children to play face to face, circular, etc etc. Together, both facilities offer multiple options in the same place so that people of all ages and conditions can enjoy the classic attraction, from little ones to teenagers, from mothers and fathers to grandfathers and grandmothers. It is an inclusive attraction that encourages interaction and socialization, collaboration and dialogue, and above all, collective fun.

But the regulations are usually quite restrictive when it comes to safety. For example, these regulations limit the height of swings to 4 meters in the United States, and draw an imaginary rectangle on the ground around the arc of the swing with a cushioned surface in case falls occur. However, both swing systems respect them and to a certain extent, at the same time, surpass them; or, rather, they test their limits to create a challenging, unusual, beautiful and rewarding attraction, which brings together the different generations that reside in the city in a kind of communion through play.