The first creative children`s playground built according to EU standards was officially opened on September 13th 2013. in the Kalemegdan Park in the presence of representatives of the City of Belgrade, the Belgrade Greenery, Lamda Development, Finish company Lappset, the Embassy of Finland in Serbia, the architectural studio MADA and Belgrade Design Week. The new creative playground replaced the old, closed by the Municipal inspection in May, because it was no longer meeting modern safety standards. Located near the “Luna Park” and the entrance to Belgrade`s Zoo, it is the first of the planned “100 Belgrade Design Week creative playgrounds for Serbia”, a project that has already inspired great interest among leading companies and local governments nationwide. The opening was immediately and overwhelmingly attended by the end-users – children – who were delighted after weeks of announcements, because they finally got a brand new, inspiring and safe place to play in the Serbian capital, in the most central park location of the Old City.
Belgrade Design Week (BDW) has initiated and managed the entire process to create this creative playground, in cooperation with the City of Belgrade and the Greek company Lamda Development as main patrons, the Embassy of Finland in Serbia and Finland`s Lappset as partners, designed by Belgrade`s young, up and coming studio MADA Architects, built by the experts of Belgrade`s Municipal Greenery.
We hope that this example of a first public-private partnership in Serbia would inspire more companies and Institutions across the country and the region to take part in our action, to offer own proposals of locations, sponsorships and initiatives, so that 100 CREATIVE PLAYGROUNDS FOR CHILDREN will soon be built in many places across Serbia. At this playground, we are being educated, and inviting all the parents to discover again how to play with their kids, said the Founder of Belgrade Design Week, Jovan Jelovac.
The Kalemegdan playground is the first example of a project representing the process of “Design Thinking”, introduced by BDW in Serbia, characterized by five simple points:
1. Kids shall fall on their heads without fear – provide them with an overall safe base for such a bold statement – but also inspire and educate them with highest design standards
2. Look at the Genius Loci for inspiration – the hills and gulches of Kalemegdan are a clear inspiration for the landscape design of the playground itself – and make the playground topography an exercise toy in itself (btw. what is the reason that all playgrounds in Serbia are flat?)
3. Work only with the best equipment suppliers who are legendary names in the world of design – proven by innovation, sustainability, durability and excellence in execution – such as the Finnish LAPPSET
4. Collaborate with the most professional municipal institutions, responsible for introducing the strictest EU standards of safety and sustainability in the development of children playgrounds – such as Belgrade’s Office for Communal and Housing Affairs and the City Greenery
5. And last but not least, moderate the strictly non-profit donation and production dialogue between key patrons, in this case the City of Belgrade itself, and the Greek company LAMDA DEVELOPMENT, responsible for the modern development of the nearby BEKO factory, assisted with a lot of goodwill by the Finnish Embassy and LAPPSET.
source: www.belgradedesignweek.com
