Play

During the 20th century, access to free time was democratised in many places across Europe. As welfare states matured, the five-day workweek became increasingly commonplace across the continent. This propelled the construction of myriads of places where people could spend their newly acquired free time. From the mid-20th century, thousands of urban projects were realised across Europe that sought to provide collective spaces where post-war societies could ‘play’. These included cultural centres, swimming pools, playgrounds, theatres, libraries, etc.

During this course, we will examine historical approaches to ‘play’ in the city, and consider how ‘play’ could be used as a vehicle to address urban challenges. Our site is on Antwerp’s Left Bank, an area of the city that was developed during the second half of the 20th century and that is today promoted by the city of Antwerp as an area for leisure and ‘play’.

Students will design a space or structure that offers a place for ‘play’. Emphasis in the design will be placed not only on spatial organisation and material expression, but also on user engagement. The final design will be presented in the form of a short story graphic novel that shows a day in the life of the newly design ‘play’ space (through the 3 protagonists).