SLOW PLAY
Intervention Architecture, Parakeet & Oobe
Teen provision in the public realm is currently dominated by activity-led typologies. Evidence indicates that around 90% of council provision for teenagers consists of MUGAs, skateparks and BMX facilities, with the majority of users being boys and young men. This is not a lack of interest from girls, but a reflection of how space is structured, programmed and socially occupied.
Within Druids Heath, one of Birmingham’s most deprived neighbourhoods in a city, with one of the youngest populations in Europe, the spatial offer for teenagers is particularly limited and heavily activity focused. Where deprivation and under-investment in public realm intersect, young people, (particularly girls), can experience a compounded lack of spatial provision for social, restorative and nature-connected play. At a time when national planning discourse has been criticised for overlooking the safety and spatial needs of women and girls, the design of everyday public realm becomes especially critical in shaping comfort, visibility and belonging.
To encourage a further inclusive approach for all, the platform and surrounding landscape design principles encourage people to engage in communication, cooperative and contemplative forms of play, observation and social gathering. However, these quieter play types are rarely spatialised within public landscapes, leaving limited provision for lingering, retreat and informal social occupation.
Weather is also a significant barrier to outdoor use in Birmingham’s climate. Exposed, hard landscapes without shelter, canopy or comfortable places to sit reduce dwell time and discourage year-round use.
The Platform responds as a soft, sheltered, biodiverse layer alongside existing facilities, supporting nature connection, vestibular regulation, social gathering and inclusive, restful, slow play rooted in the lived context of Druids Heath.
Team
Anna Parker, Architect, Intervention Architecture
Anu Shemar, Architectural Designer, Intervention Architecture
Amy Campbell, Director + Artist Playworker, Parakeet
Claire Hunt, Regional Director Landscape Architect, Oobe
