- A Fantasy Play World for Rathenow

An artistic competition was held by the city of Rathenow on the occasion of the National Garden Show (BUGA) 2015, which was held in the Havelland region. Landscape design offices along play equipment manufacturers were invited to take part. The Berlin-based K1 office selected us as their partner. We were able to win over the jury in Rathenow with our joint design and the contract was won by our partner company. For one year, we planned and built a giant play area that incorporated an impressive height difference of about 17 meters and a 7.600 square-meter-sized sandpit.

The area directly behind the so-called “Bismarck Tower”, which is referred to as “Sand Valley”, is also the natural habitat for sand lizards. This theme was also reflected in the design of the play area and thus the idea for “Lizard Land” with the huge play sculpture came about.

This sculpture is also the main attraction of this fantasy playground; indeed, it stretches over the entire rambling area. The wooden climbing frame, consisting of many sections, was delivered by means of a self-loading mobile crane as several individual components and constructed on-site. The elaborate assembly took several months to complete.

The so-called “lizard head“is a climbing frame extending over two floors. Climbing ropes, mats, climbing ladders, crawl tubes, wobbly bridges, slides and many other attractions can be discovered within. On the second play level, it is possible to look out through giant lizard eyes (steel grid construction) and watch the merry goings-on below.

The lizard arm consists of a low rope-course that offers various suspension and rope bridges, rubber mats and various other swinging elements.

It’s possible to make your way along the slope over the so-called lizard skin scales with a continual up-and-down movement across the scaly, smooth or meshed areas.
This leads to the lizard leg which serves as a giant lookout tower having two swings installed between the toes. You can continue from here over two relatively difficult-to-climb ascending and descending stairways to a platform area on the upper level that provides a view to Sand Valley.

The lizard’s tail, made of sprayed concrete, is furnished with various little water fountains and invites the children to come and play in mud and water.

A lizard’s nest is located near the middle of the sandpit. It was expressly planned and developed as a play area for toddlers. Encircled by a mini-climbing route, three large white eggs wait to be climbed upon and through.
These play objects were fashioned out of glass fiber-reinforced plastic by sculptor Sergej Dott.

A further attraction at the play area is the roughly 30-meter-long tube slide. Accessing it from a higher placed platform, you travel over the hanging slide along many curves through trees directly to the sandpit.

Parents can keep an eye on their playing children in Lizard Land from the new sun deck.