SAVE THE DATE! OPENING OF THE FIRST BDW PLAYGROUND AT KALEMEGDAN ON FRIDAY, SEPT 13TH, AT 12:00

‘Belgrade’S PARENTS ARE FAMOUS FOR SHOUTING “POLAAAAKOOOOOOO” I “PAAAZZZZIIIIIII”* ALL THE TIME ON PLAYGROUNDS’ – GUY DE LAUNEY, PARENT HIMSELF, AND BBC CORRESPONDENT FROM BELGRADE

*MEANING “SLLOOOWW” AND “CAREFUUULLLL”

AND NOW, FINALLY:

The time has come to address this issue of national pride! BDW worked hard on our friend Guy, trying to explain him that given the abysmal state of Belgrade’s playgrounds, parents have to exercise maximum care and protection towards their children, unlike their Western, and especially Northern European counterparts, spoiled since times immemorial with perfect, innovative and above anything else, health- and safety-complying installations. We still shiver from daily situations over here, where our kid hangs from two meters upside down, with the head dangling dangerously close to a rock-hard surface below, where a few nails from industrial times are shyly protruding, and the very construction your future heir just climbed, shakes with every move. Try not to yell POOOLAAAAKKKO, Guy, when your kid runs off to a street-crossing, where lunatic drivers wouldn’t stop, even if formally asked by grown-ups crossing a zebra… The truth in Guy’s musings is – how will our kids ever learn to fall, climb, balance, try and fail and try and learn, and, in general, become independent from their overprotective, scared US? The answer is: WELCOME TO THE FIRST FALL-ON-YOUR-HEAD-STAND-UP-AND-GO-ON PLAYGROUND IN SERBIA, the first product in the series of the planned 100 CREATIVE CHILDREN PLAYGROUNDS FOR SERBIA.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? CHECK PHOTOS OF OUR BRAVE STUNT-KID MILA JELOVAC BELOW FROM THE UNFINISHED SITE, AND JOIN US AT THE OPENING, OR ANY DAY AFTERWARDS! WELCOME!!!!!!

DETAILS:

Come to the opening on Friday, September 13th 2013, at noon, to meet and discuss the project with the authors, the much acclaimed young architecture studio MADA, famous since their installation from Venice, where they represented Serbia at the Architecture Bienalle 2012. The young architects are looking forward to sample reactions from the first users of their first ever completed project in their hometown, children and parents alike, and you may also become part of the movie they are shooting about the opening.

CONCEPT:

In the same time, you can meet and discuss the concept for the planned next 99 playgrounds in Serbia, with the present Belgrade Design Week team, as the Kalemegdan playground is the first showcase for a project lead by the new DESIGN THINKING process for children playgrounds, introduced by BDW in Serbia, characterized by five simple principles:

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.

EXECUTION:

Come to the opening and meet the City Architect, and his excellent crew of municipal workers, who made this playground happen, and invite them to produce a similar CREATIVE playground as the next one in YOUR neighborhood!

Contact BDW, lets begin the process for YOUR playground, and together find the next donors and creatives, working for the benefit of all children in Serbia!

CONCLUSION:

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL PARTNERS!

With this collaboration effort, one of the most prominent classic playgrounds in Belgrade, which started to represent a health and safety risk to our children, will of Friday be reborn as an innovative place with a unique design, quality and appeal, a playground that wouldn’t look out of place in any of the leading world capitals. We hope that this example of an unique public / private partnership in Serbia and the region, will inspire other companies and institutions throughout the nation to become a part of our project with their own proposals, funding and initiatives, and that soon 100 CREATIVE BDW PLAYGROUNDS FOR CHILDREN will be built in many other places throughout Serbia.

See you at Kalemegdan at the opening!