The senate of the City of Hamburg places considerable emphasis on the attractiveness of the local playgrounds. These are important locations when it comes to the everyday life of children who use them and the adults who accompany them. It is here that friendships are first formed with other children living locally and that shared adventures can take place when school or kindergarten are out.
Here there is the opportunity to play with sand and water, to climb, slide, swing, play hide-and-seek or use a zip wire - the versatile and well equipped local playgrounds in the city provide a wealth of options when it comes to exercise and letting off steam. For those children in particular who grow up in an urban environment, the local playground can become the 'green centre' of the neighbourhood where not just children come together but older people can also meet. Not only that, but a local playground can host a child's birthday party and be the destination of a kindergarten or class excursion. And when it's time for a bit of a change, a playground in a neighbouring district can always be reached on foot or bike, thus extending the perimeter of the area within which children can roam.
As a result of extensive modernisation work, the district of St. Pauli is undergoing major changes not only in socio-demographic and economic terms but also in terms of the transformation of its urban infrastructure.
The Pepermölenbek playground that extends to some 2000 m2 (plus underground structures of some 200 m2) is in a central city location in a residential area of St. Pauli, south of the famous Reeperbahn and to the north of the fish market. The playground lies on the road of the same name that connects the harbour and St. Pauli and that as such is heavily frequented by traffic.
For the local residents, this green site represents the linking hub between harbour, urban rail station, other districts and the retail outlets in the locality.
A two-stage consultation process was used during the planning phase. At the first consultation meeting, the needs and wishes of the residents were identified. At a second event, the draft plan was submitted for discussion and approval.
Construction measures
Present in the northern section of the site were a soccer pitch, a tyre swing on a steel/wood frame with underlying gravel impact attenuation surfacing, a sandpit surrounded by a strip of asphalt, a playhouse with slide, another sandpit with playhouse for young children, a spring rocker and a tyre swing. This was bordered by a pathway and a grassed bank on the opposite side. In the southern section of the playground were two ping-pong tables, a pergola with climbing plants, benches, a seating group around a table and two waste bins.
All the play equipment items exhibited wear and tear, soiling and age-related defects. The grassed areas were largely bare of grass, except in the play area dedicated to younger children that was still relatively well preserved. The surfacing of the soccer pitch was shabby and ragged around the edges.
The ball stop fencing of the pitch was to be retained and improved and the surfacing renewed.
The equipment present was removed and not reused. Two trees had to be felled. The plants of the pergolas were cut back and the pergolas removed.
So that we could determine what local users wanted, we held, in collaboration with Altona's district administration, a consultation session for the local adults and children. However, only 25 persons turned up.
Even so, we were able to establish that the playground was used by all age groups - least frequently by children in the age range 3 to 6 years. This was probably attributable to the fact that the playground is next to a busy road and that there are other play areas in the inner courtyards of the surrounding housing. The playground was most popular with children aged 6 to12 years.
"We consider the potential of the site to be its location and its function as a link or node where various routes come together. It will be possible to bring this site back to life using an approach that will give it an appropriate identity and make it suitable for a specific purpose. In its current form and design, it does not represent a sufficiently enticing spot at which to spend time," concluded the planners, Kolja Naumann Sharon Naumann Landschaftsarchitektur GbR.
Implementation
The plan for the playground envisaged creating several spaces dedicated to different activities. These spaces are designed to meet the needs of the various age groups and ensure that there is no competition between them for room.
The playground has been divided into two sectors. To the north is an area for older children while to the south is a play section for younger children. At the focus of the two areas is a central space characterised by a single tree. It is hoped that in future this area will serve passers-by, who currently use it only as a thoroughfare, as a place to meet and interact.
The northern park section has a natural slope and is being terraced.
This section is divided into three spaces.
Opportunities to play games other than football - which was previously the only option catered for here - will be provided for. The first plateau has facilities for soccer and basketball. The football pitch has been renovated by means of replacement of the water-resistant surfacing. The existing ball stop fence has been upgraded while a streetball net has been installed on the other side of the functional extension that can be used on both sides.
The second terrace accommodates a 'park room'. The character of this 'room' is generated by the existing trees. The exposed roots have been covered over and underplanted. There is a path that can be used to cross the section. A new ping-pong table has been positioned on a small, tarmacked area. Originally located in the southern section of the park where it was exposed to the wind, it has now been relocated here in the north where it is better protected. The games fields are flanked by seating options.
The third level of the terrace has been asphalted over so that it can be used for all forms of roller and skateboard activities. Asphalt hills and coloured markings provide an obstacle course for these activities. The markings are both light-stable and wear-resistant. This simple technique has turned the asphalted surface into an attractive and versatile space.
The sand play area is defined by a crescent-shaped wooden walkway that rises to 1 metre above the ground. At its end is a slide for small children and it forms the border of the play area for young children. It not only separates this area from the path but also serves as seating for accompanying parents. The walkway also provides the framework for other structures - a sand construction site and a play shop.
The neighbouring site provides play options designed for older children. At its centre is a climbing tower with lookout. The tower not only extends play options into the vertical; it also provides a high point on the sloping terrain. Here, children can obtain an overview of the entire playground and can even look over the noise protection barrier into the adjacent road. A wooden balancing trail leads across the grassed slope that marks the southern extremity of the playground. A slide that can be reached from a platform forms a centre of attraction on the southern slope. The effect is to underscore the access provided here to the more elevated and traffic-calmed street Hamburger Hochstraße. The various play sections have been provided with drum-shaped seating and jumping elements to create an interconnected play feature.
"In both sectors there are numerous elements that are essential to any playground. The equipment we have installed encourages children to climb, swing and balance. In addition, there are slides and elements that can be used for other forms of physical activities. The area for small children has been supplemented by diverse sand and water play features. Children of various ages can here improve their skills and develop their social, cognitive, emotional, sensomotor and physical abilities. They need to exhibit daring, dexterity, confidence and a good sense of balance. Our play equipment promotes all this in quite a unique manner," concludes Jörn Schäfer, CEO of the play equipment manufacturer Spiel Bau GmbH.
Embedded in surfaces and used as inlays are large natural stone lawn lattice blocks. These elements are also used to decorate the neighbouring roads and the district as a whole. A main pathway, made of concrete slabs and paving, connects the various segments. Elongated concrete blocks act as steps and provide for spatial demarcation and terrain terracing. Benches have been positioned on these at some points.
A row of benches and a solitary tree form the new core of the green site. In addition, the planted sections to the south have been redesigned and slightly relocated to make the access to the facility more apparent. Pedestrian guardrails have been installed at entranceways.
Conclusions
During the consultation phase with children and young people at the planning stage, some residents were enthusiastic about the concepts but others were more sceptical. Prior to the redesign, the playground was haphazard, overgrown and largely deserted. It was, however, extensively used by visitors from the nearby Reeperbahn who were not the sort of public appropriate to a playground. There was no form of social control as the local residents perceived the feature as a place to avoid. At the same time, the local children expressed definite wishes with regard to changes. In this part of St. Pauli and the old centre of Altona there were, at the time, only play facilities for young children in the protected inner courtyards of the residential housing. Here there was the conventional range of equipment, such as sand pits, spring rockers and mini-swings but nothing to attract older children who were looking for opportunities to climb, play and simply let off steam near where they lived.
The whole situation has changed with the revamping of the playground. In the mornings, it is regularly visited by kindergarten groups who provide for life and hubbub there. For the children who attend the nearby St. Pauli all-day school, it is a place where they can play and exercise in the afternoons.
In order to transform this into a popular focus, it was important to use play equipment with character that would send out the appropriate signals. Long neglected, the playground had to be brought back to life and given a much more positive image. The bright colours and eye-catching designs of the new equipment readily draw attention to the updated facility. Moreover, to ensure that its presence behind the noise protection barrier is apparent, a high climbing tower has been erected at its centre that is visible from a considerable distance. The slide on the steep slope up to the Hamburger Hochstraße connects the playground with the residential streets to the south. Both pieces of equipment provide climbing challenges for children and also an overview of what is available in the vicinity.
The new playground is uncluttered and well organised and is now being used by local residents as a place to meet. People of all ages use the benches and seating blocks to enjoy the sun, chat and watch the activities around them and some will even stay there as evening draws on.
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