Coping with Standards: Integrating Art and Safety into the Design of a Creative Playground
: Lundman, Riina
Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
: 2024
Journal of Planning Education and Research
: J PLAN EDUC RES
: ARTN 0739456X21994650
: 44
: 1
: 431
: 440
: 10
: 0739-456X
: 1552-6577
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X21994650
: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/54106386
Technical safety standards have a strong yet controversial impact on the design of current playgrounds. This article studies the process of making a unique art-playground under the strict safety requirements. Building on the case study of a participatory design project between artists and children in Turku, Finland, this paper discusses the many legal and technical ambiguities regarding the playground standardization and investigates artists' experiences of implementing standards in their work. The article shows that despite the controversies, it is possible to make playgrounds that comply with the standards, respect children's desires, and are original and creative in their appearance.
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