Bauhaus-Universität Weimar Students Design New Playground in Weimar’s City Centre

In preparation for the Bauhaus centenary in 2019, the Rotary Club Weimar-Bauhaus, along with other city offices, approached Gerrit Babtist, Professor of Design and Management at the university. The Club’s idea was to design a new playground for Weimar’s city centre. And this is how the »BauhausSpielPunkte« project came to be in the 2019/2020 winter semester in the Produktdesign (Product Design) programme.

»The project focussed on living environments and spaces for activity within the city of Weimar«, says Prof. Gerrit Babtist. »Play spaces and meeting spots are essential to social structures; they also serve as age-spanning spaces for families and visitors to spend time at, thus encouraging communal use, personal encounters and physical activity. We wanted to identify potential locations in Weimar and then develop ideas for future urban spaces specifically designed for playing and socialising.«

A number of design drafts emerged following an intensive phase which included theoretical input, academic and practical lectures, as well as excursions. The winning design by Helene Sophia Krause (Produktdesign (Product Design)) and Sophie Littmann (Civil Engineering) was chosen through an internal selection process and has since been realised.

The »Baukasten« design provides a space for both short and long stays where visitors can play and explore the surroundings. The playground is characterised by its various elevation levels, which mimic a rocky landscape. While this may represent varying levels of difficulty, it also encourages exploration and finding new paths and vantage points. The playground prompts creative ascents and descents, as well as paths in between. It also provides spaces for free and imaginative play. The playground is also home to climbing elements, such as ropes, nets and rungs, which help younger users with their exploration. Thanks to the generous size of the playground, adults will also feel welcome and challenged to play along, discover and make use of the structure.

The simplicity of the design makes it easy to adapt in terms of its location and function. Spaces in densely populated residential areas that are not large enough for sprawling playgrounds can also apply the playground’s concept. The design intentionally avoids using paint in order to eliminate the deterioration of potential harmful finishes. The natural colours of the wood and metal will change over time and blend into the cityscape. By standardising the components, they can be replaced with minimal cost and effort. This ensure the most durable and resource-efficient playground possible.

»This project provided me with a lot of new knowledge, especially in terms of project planning — both during and after the semester«, says Helene Sophia Krause. »I’m thrilled that the playground is now a reality in Weimar.«

The »BauhausSpielPunkte« project was supervised by Gerrit Babtist, Professor of Design and Management, and by artistic staff member Sarah Böttger.

Background:
Weimar’s city administration »Spielraum« working group has long been striving to establish smaller playgrounds, especially in the densely-built city centre where there are no large open areas for playgrounds. Initially, the goal was to build a new playground at the newly created Sophienstiftplatzes intersection. Changing conditions, space issues and new considerations resulted in the playground being built at its current location on the green space at Am Graben. The playground should serve here as a socialising, play and rest area for all ages.

The playground was funded and organised by the Rotary Club Weimar-Bauhaus in close cooperation with the city of Weimar (»Grünflächen- und Friedhofsamt«). The technical coordination was provided by »formspieldesign«, craftsmanship by the company »Dach Schneider« together with the company »holzcharakter«. The construction took place in December 2022; the base components were constructed and funded by »Kommunalservice Weimar«. The project development and construction costs amounted to 35,000 euros.