The Other Nest by 100 Architects | Urban toys for the city

The 100architects team designed these two urban playscapes to evoke joy and entertainment for individuals of all ages...

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From the architect: The Other Nest 2023 represents an exciting evolution of our previous project, The Nest, which captivated audiences in early 2021. This endeavor exemplifies a captivating and dynamic public space that aims to enhance and beautify the urban landscape of Chengdu, the vibrant capital of China’s Sichuan province.

Commissioned once again by our esteemed client, the New Hope Group, who expressed great satisfaction with the original outcome, we were inspired to leverage the intellectual property we had developed. Our objective was to create a project within the same narrative framework, utilizing the same “image” while adapting to the unique site conditions of a newly constructed residential area.

Both projects embody the concept of “urban toys for the city,” aligning with our belief that play is not limited to children. The 100architects team designed these two urban playscapes to evoke joy and entertainment for individuals of all ages. These colorful playscapes act as urban attractors, visually standing out amidst their surrounding environment.

Just like the original version, the design narrative of this multifunctional playscape draws inspiration from the concept of a vibrant birth, where two newborns are nurtured by their mother. The three main IP objects, the birds, remain unchanged from the previous iteration. These vertical play structures serve as engaging elements for children to climb, slide, and discover various play opportunities.

In addition to the central play equipment, we have continued the theme of circular patterns throughout the surrounding space. These circles act as platforms for leisure, social interaction, and a wide range of other functions, enriching the multifunctionality of the playscape.

Connecting all the circular components together is a meandering running track that spans the entire project, serving as a unifying element and transforming the playscape into a multi-functional circuit of events to be enjoyed by both children and adults.

Various features have been incorporated into this playscape, including a sunken sandpit, swings, a trampoline, a fitness core, a Chinese chess table, elderly exercise equipment, and seating components under an eggshell-shaped canopy, providing shade.

To ensure a comprehensive urban intervention, we have enhanced the surrounding landscape with circular shapes consisting of lush greenery, bushes, flowers, and trees. Significantly increasing the number of green areas, these additions create a green buffer that shields the playscape from the adjacent residential buildings.

The colorful EPDM flooring, designed to absorb impacts during play, showcases an array of patterns, graphics, and interactive games, facilitating connections between different spaces and activities within the area.

During nighttime, the project comes to life through decorative lighting using flexible LED strips, accentuating the meandering shapes of the eggshells. This includes the eggshells representing the emerging chicks as well as the canopies providing shading. For functional lighting, lampposts have been designed with smaller eggshell-shaped lamps atop them.

Architect: 100 Architects (Shanghai)
Client: New Hope Group
Location: Chengdu, China
Year: 2023
Size: 1,300 sqm
Design Team: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Hayley Huang, Jango Zhang, Yuntong Liu
Project Manager Team: Jenny Fan, Nicholas Lv, Eva Jiang
Photography: Rex Zou
Video: Lalo Lopez