Case Studies
Developed by the Spanish partner of Richter Spielgeräte, BDU, the Madrid Rio project is a bold and ambitious project which sought to create a green corridor where once was roads. The River Manazares was formally bordered at both sides by a multi-later highway. It was not accessible to the public and hardly even visible. Now the highway runs in tunnels and a 120 hectare area has become free for a large public park. This was planned in two section, the ‘Salon de Pinos’ and the ‘Arganzuela Park’. Within the ‘Salon de Pinos’ park, eleven individual playgrounds were created. There is a toddlers’ playground, one for highly focused climbing, one for relaxing, one for experiencing speed and many more. An integrated playground, designed with disabled children specifically in mind, features a special slide, a swing, carousel, ramp bridges and platforms.
All these eleven play areas fit comfortably within the pine tree grove which is typical of the area. The light coloured posts of the equipment contrasts with the darker trunks of the pine trees, whist still harmonising with the natural landscape.
The Arganzuela Park is the second part of the Madrid Rio project, two large scale playgrounds and two smaller play area. One of these spaces features a huge slide hill; open slides with curves, Tunnel slides, wide social slides. A large Climbing Structure invites children to sharpen their coordination and motor skills. In a shady pine tree grove, wooden wild boars await those who dare to climb aboard for a ride. An existing road bridge has been ingeniously repurposed as a support for thrilling high swings.