OLA Shanghai collaborated with LEGO China and NIKE to create a playground at Baoshan No. 2 Central Primary School that integrates movement and creativity. The playground takes design inspiration from the modularity and logic of a 2×3 LEGO brick.
The design of the playground translates LEGO’s modularity into physical and scalable play experiences for the children. Flexible, open-ended structures pave the way for play and physical activity. Large and lightweight blue blocks inspired by LEGO bricks adorn the playground.
These modular elements serve as climbing, balancing, and exploration structures that encourage creativity and play among the children. They urge the children to use their imagination in creating routes and express their ideas on play and design. There are also yellow-studded red LEGO block-like seating surrounding the building’s glazing.
Moreover, the collaborative project highlight’s sustainability. The 550-square-meter playground attracts with its bright orange flooring made out of recycled shoes processed with Nike Grinding technology. It also has red, orange, and yellow gradients reminiscent of Nike’s basketball courts. Then white line-markings reminiscent of athletic tracks divide these colorful areas.
“The playground’s overall structure brings together layered interaction with a focus on safety and sustainability, meeting the physical activity needs and safety standards of primary school students of all ages. Designers carefully balanced sport functionality with free play, creating a space that meets professional standards while offering rich interactive experiences,” said Nike.
“Recycled materials form the foundation of the play areas, while vertical layering and blurred boundaries maximise experiential variety within the space constraints,” it added. This is the 50th playground developed by Nike as part of its “Move to Zero” initiative. It plans to build 100 Nike Grind courts across China by 2030.
