Access and Inclusion "Creative Kids"

The obvious lack of open spaces necessary for healthy social development in children led Yahia Md Amin, Psychologist, to create an indoor playground "Creative Kids." The chosen location is a compact office floor of about 3,800 sq. ft. located in a commercial building in Panthapath, a vibrant urban center in Dhaka. Panthapath is a mixed-use district surrounded by major residential areas, containing half of its required open space for dwellers. A new typology offering intellectual and cognitive development in children is designed as a refurbished floor space. A commercial office has been adapted and reused as an indoor playground that focuses on inclusivity and grows a community through social interaction in this context.   

The user group is children aged three to nine years, accompanied by adult guardians of any age. The design concept of Creative Kids is embedded in research on children's psychological, social, and behavioral development. A set of activities has been designed as a series of stories, which offer the children opportunities to recreate their own narratives. The activity spaces provide an intriguing playing environment that will aid in the development of children's creative and intellectual abilities. The design derived from the notion to create an accessible and friendly space for children and a center for interaction with their community.

The design includes many interactive spaces with a friendly scale on multiple levels to gather and interact with the kids playing around, irrespective of their age, gender, or classification. Different zones tell many different stories, accommodated in a carved layout that allows access for differently-abled children to most of the activity areas. Services like lockers, accessible toilets, and learning resources are textured with graffiti that also promotes learning from the whole world and is accessible inclusively. For example, among many activity spaces, there is a double-decker minibus that allows nine kids to meet and learn socialization by interacting on an intimate scale.

Facilities for visitors, like a traditional café, are thoughtfully placed in a central location to allow personnel to watch over the activity of their kids and to keep an eye on the entire area. Accessibility of the kids' zone allows guardians to stay around and assist the children in developing many cognitive skills, while also interacting with the people of their community. The spatial connectivity of Creative Kids is well integrated, with different zones fluidly connected. 

All activity spaces have been designed with local resources and resonate with cultural learning for the children. The whole play zone has been built with a thematic narrative and adopts a rich and bold color combination to create a vibrant and playful space. The built environment allows sufficient daylight and views toward the city, offering minimized energy consumption during the day. There are transformations and progressions harmoniously designed in hues, demonstrating a high degree of completeness and consistency in the design and spatial storytelling.

Upon entering Creative Kids, a child will encounter a spectrum of unlimited possibilities that are extended throughout the floor plan. Children and their community perform here together to build a socially sustainable community. The embedded activity spaces ensure safety and inclusivity so that all can grow and learn together. 

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