We design architecture for all: inclusive, barrier free and participatory
An outdoor – indoor inclusive adventure play centre for disabled children and young people, their friends, and their families, The Yard Dundee will be designed as an enabling environment for all who use it. We are at concept design stage, a joint venture with JM Architects, Glasgow.
The Clients:
The Yard is an award-winning charity running adventure play services for disabled children, young people and their families. They promote inclusive play to help disabled children and young people develop their full potential, confidence, self- esteem and life skills.
Process:
The project is an inclusive outdoor indoor adventure play centre in Dundee, providing disabled children and young people, their siblings and friends the chance to experience creative and adventurous play in a well supported environment. As designers, we knew that the children and young people’s involvement right from the start of the process would be crucial. We are currently at concept stage, having conducted a series of creative workshops that allow the children and young people both to communicate their needs for the spaces, and also to imagine how they want the spaces to be, feel, work, be experienced in a sensory way. As designers this process has enabled us to design a place that works for all the different needs of the children and young people, and also promotes ownership and belonging once they inhabit and use the building.
The Aim of the Building:
The benefits of creative adventure play for children are well documented. The Yard strongly believes disabled children should be offered the same opportunities as their peers to get involved in risky play to help them develop, learn and build friendships and find their own limits. This building will support this process, and has been designed as an enabling environment, where each child or young person finds the spaces they need. The building will contain spatial contrasts which will be especially important to children as part of their learning through exploration and free-play. How they experience these spaces will be what makes this an exceptional building. Spatial articulation and interconnectivity between spaces, where large open plan spaces encourage and enable play, but are also articulated to encourage slower experiences used by different people in different ways. Physical, aural, and visual connections provide a sense of security and independence which is important to the families who attend The Yard. Outside play is a crucial principle: designing so that the spaces outside and inside, through their pathways and connections, work as one. It will be a building which enables all the fundamentals of play. Maximising the imagination of children’s play, we are designing a fully inclusive building that enables this for all
An outdoor – indoor inclusive adventure play centre for disabled children and young people, their friends, and their families, The Yard Dundee will be designed as an enabling environment for all who use it. We are at concept design stage, a joint venture with JM Architects, Glasgow.
The Clients:
The Yard is an award-winning charity running adventure play services for disabled children, young people and their families. They promote inclusive play to help disabled children and young people develop their full potential, confidence, self- esteem and life skills.
Process:
The project is an inclusive outdoor indoor adventure play centre in Dundee, providing disabled children and young people, their siblings and friends the chance to experience creative and adventurous play in a well supported environment. As designers, we knew that the children and young people’s involvement right from the start of the process would be crucial. We are currently at concept stage, having conducted a series of creative workshops that allow the children and young people both to communicate their needs for the spaces, and also to imagine how they want the spaces to be, feel, work, be experienced in a sensory way. As designers this process has enabled us to design a place that works for all the different needs of the children and young people, and also promotes ownership and belonging once they inhabit and use the building.
The Aim of the Building:
The benefits of creative adventure play for children are well documented. The Yard strongly believes disabled children should be offered the same opportunities as their peers to get involved in risky play to help them develop, learn and build friendships and find their own limits. This building will support this process, and has been designed as an enabling environment, where each child or young person finds the spaces they need. The building will contain spatial contrasts which will be especially important to children as part of their learning through exploration and free-play. How they experience these spaces will be what makes this an exceptional building. Spatial articulation and interconnectivity between spaces, where large open plan spaces encourage and enable play, but are also articulated to encourage slower experiences used by different people in different ways. Physical, aural, and visual connections provide a sense of security and independence which is important to the families who attend The Yard. Outside play is a crucial principle: designing so that the spaces outside and inside, through their pathways and connections, work as one. It will be a building which enables all the fundamentals of play. Maximising the imagination of children’s play, we are designing a fully inclusive building that enables this for all
