Kidspace

The roofs designed by Mulder + Kennedy Architects at ‘Kidspace’ provide permanent shade for a community-built children’s adventure playground.

Kidspace is an accessible public place, and usable free of charge. Given Queensland’s abundant sunshine, it was imperative to provide shade for the comfort and safety of the playground users.

A series of house-scale structures appropriate to the functional need were designed prior to construction of the playground. The roofs are supported on hardwood poles which are integrated into the structural grid of the maze-like playground.

The design of the roofs combines the use of scale, rhythm, proportion, balance and composition to enhance the guiding principles for effective protection against solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Wide spreading roofs with steel and polycarbonate sheeting, and deep overhangs, create a canopy to effectively block UVR. For climatic comfort, the steeply pitched roofs are vented for heat release with the roof vents doubling as lanterns filtering sunlight to the shaded spaces.

The buildings’ forms and materials embrace a strong vernacular theme but with a sense of playfulness that is appropriate to the context. The shade and the spatial qualities offered by the roof canopies enhance children’s and adults sensory experience of the playground and promote high visitor satisfaction.