THE DRAWING ISSUE
CREATING UNIQUE PLAYGROUND DESIGNS
Every MONSTRUM playground is unique and specifically designed to fit the area and the story of the place. We mold and twist themes and ideas into visually striking scenes, the kids can have fun climbing across and play on. It's an art form to combine these qualities.
The drawing is the link between the architect and the client, that helps them understand each other. Ideas and corrections from both parties are hard to understand without a visual example that illustrates form, colors, composition and elements such as play features.
THE HISTORICAL PLAYGROUND
The 5 Hald Museum in Viborg, Denmark
The Historical Playground is designed to fit the history of the area and museum of Hald Manor, which is an area of old ruins that was an important site in Danish History for many centuries.
READ MORE ABOUT THE PLAYGROUND HERE
THE RAILWAY MUSEUM PLAYGROUND
The Railway Museum in Odense, Denmark
The Railway Museum playground is a wooden version of the iconic old locomotive the E 994 Steam engine. Small artistic details was added to the realistic representation which gives the playground a creative and unique style such as the wooden steam structure on top of the locomotive, that has a slide inside it.
THE SKY HIGH FLIGHT
Copenhagen Airport, Denmark
The Sky High Flight playground consists of an 8 meter long airplane with a cockpit inside for the kids to climb in. It is designed in the style of the visual identity of the Copenhagen Airport with their logo and colours, which makes it an official welcoming sign for the people visiting the airport.
THE FISHING VILLAGE
Taarbæk, Denmark
The charming harbour of Taarbæk is the heart of the city. Since its establishment the city has been closely linked to the fishing industry of Øresund as it was once a small fishing village. The school of Taarbæk is placed right by the harbour with a beautiful view of boats and the sea. It was an obvious choice to design a new playground with a maritime theme.
DIGITAL YET STILL BY HAND
At MONSTRUM, we always do sketching by hand because of the aesthetic qualities but also to create an overall expression that illustrates a concept and an idea. Later on in the process, we add more details as we close in on a specific design. A few years ago, we started drawing on iPads to gain more flexibility, better technical options and to work more efficiently. Today, our sketches are a mix between an analog, handdrawn style and a digital expression that comes from editing the drawings afterwards in Photoshop.
SUNE JØRGENSEN
ARCHITECT MAA & PROJECT MANAGER
"One of the things I enjoy the most is to develop small playfull worlds, tell stories and create a tiny scene for a given environment. I hope our playgrounds add more character and memorability to the neighborhood it’s situated in."
Meet Sune, our talented architect and project manager. He's one of the guys designing and planning the playgrounds, inventing the fun and beautiful sceneries and making sure the clients get their dream playground. In fact he is the one who made the Historical Playground and The Sky High Flight.
He's always loved the creative process and the fine nuances of architecture, of how you have to consider many details such as creating the right expression and composition, combining different materials and making beautiful hand drawings. When it comes to creating MONSTRUM playgrounds, Sune says he especially loves the element of storytelling. Every playground is a small story that unfolds in the urban landscape.
The video above showcases how Sune works both on Ipad and in photoshop. He starts with sketching small ideas on the iPad. Later, when the design is settled in collaboration with the client, elements are added or removed, and a more detailed drawing is made in Photoshop. Kids are added to create a sense of dimensions, the right colors and effect boards are added.
COLLECTING INSPIRATION
As main inspiration, Sune mentions the animation industry and their way of creating magical and colourful universes. He buys a lot of "Art of"-books, that showcases the evolution of artwork throughout the development of animation movies. They show sketches, concept development and character design that never make it to the movies, but are incredible and unique art pieces. He follows many of the animators and illustrators on instagram. Maybe you want some inspiration too - Check out these profiles:
@williereal
@chocosweete
@michaelrelth
@_rebchan
@beatrice.blue
@christopher_sasaki
@dedouze
