This project’s prime objective is reinventing the streetscape as a place of play. Carve took a typical dense Amsterdam street and transformed it into a mounded landscape with integrated play elements. Two black rubber landscapes frame a water play area at the centre. After being constructed, this play environment quickly became a neighbourhood anchor, bringing people of all different ages and backgrounds together.
The black poured rubber surfacing invites visitors to jump, run, and fall. It doubles as a drawing surface (using white chalk), while also helping to dampen noise in the neighbourhood. Integrated into the rubber surface are crawling tunnels, spinners, trampolines, water sprayer elements, and whispering tubes.
This rubber area is flanked by a series of box-shaped benches and two wide sidewalks. Several trees were planted around the play area, and a hedge separates the active play zone from a bicycle path.
