“Athens is getting a unique playground, the most beautiful in the world, because it is in the shadow of the Acropolis” said K. Bakoyannis:
A high standard playground is now enjoyed by the little Athenians under the rocky hill of the Acropolis, which dominates the center of modern Athens. This is a new play area, which is located under the eastern edge of the rock and borders the archaeological site.
The playground is flanked by a green garden with separate physical routes.
Its creation by the Municipality of Athens forms a complex of activities for the whole family and highlights the unique historical and cultural wealth of the city. The basic principles of the design are the choice of natural materials, which complement the image of the olive grove that the park has today, as well as the respect and highlighting of the proximity to the rock of the Acropolis.
The new playground was created within it Garden of the Acropolis and has an area 2,440 sq.m. It is located under the east end of the rock of the Acropolis, borders the archaeological site, while through its space the visitor has a very special perspective of the rock and the wall.
“Athens is getting a unique playground: The most beautiful in the world, because it is in the shadow of the Acropolis. It is a special play area that will give moments of relaxation, entertainment and walking to young and old. A project realized through “Adopt your city”. The program that radically changed the culture around the way we deal with the city and its neighborhoods. It helped us find important allies in our effort to move Athens forward. I thank the HELLENIC SOCIETY of Environment and Culture and the Onassis Foundation for their kind contribution”, says the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, in a statement.
Safe play in a modern entertainment venue in the “heart” of the city
The play areas of the playground were organized on two levels to make use of the entire surface area of the park. Following the particularly sloping relief of the area, one area was organized in lower level of the playground, which is wheelchair accessible and aimed at children preschool and school of age. The central theme of this section is the farm. A small wooden house and a horse with a cart are placed on the slope, between the trees and – apart from playing with the equipment itself – encourage children and create the conditions for role-playing and free play.
Also in the area is a swing with a “nest” seat and a sensory sound and communication toy. On its southern side, at the point with the most beautiful view of the Acropolis rock and next to the southern entrance, a stone seating area is organized. From this point the children’s parents have visibility over most of the playground.
On the slope between the lower and the central, intermediate plateau children come into contact with water. A system is installed with channels that themselves supply water through a manual pump. Children can decide the route the water will follow thanks to the alternative possibilities of the channels. Next to this construction, a botanical garden is created for children to come into contact with the cultivation process.
The second area extends to higher level and is aimed at children preschool, school and adolescent of age. It takes advantage of the sloping topography and features play equipment arranged in a circular route that starts at the lowest point of the area with climbing and balancing activities to move to the highest point and slides for sliding activity to return to the original lowest point. At the highest point, the climb to the most beautiful view of the Acropolis rock is completed.
In the clearing of the olive grove, an earthen “stage” was created 40 cm higher than the rest of the paving and bleachers on one side of it. Thus, informal meetings of theater and other groups are encouraged, as well as the organization of traditional group games (lame, rubber, hide and seek, chase, bat fly) and other similar activities.
The “redevelopment” of the park that surrounds the children’s – It got more greenery and new urban equipment
The playground is “embraced” by renewed garden, in which the existing plantings were preserved and reinforced with new ones, with the aim of creating an Attic Mediterranean sensory garden, which will stimulate the five basic senses. This garden helps children connect with nature and better understand the environment.
This garden of unique beauty got more green, as they became a whole 876 plantings, of which 17 are trees. At the same time, the urban equipment was completely renewed, the routes and stairs were shaped with natural materials, waste baskets were placed and the park was completely upgraded into a play, entertainment and recreation area.
The HELLENIC Society for Environment and Culture (ELLET) proposed the project to the Municipality of Athens and undertook the preparation of the studies (architectural, plant engineering, IT facilities, statics), while the implementation was made with an exclusive donation from the Onassis Foundation within the framework of the “Adopt your city”.
Source: Skai
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