T H E
P R O D U C E R S
C O P E N H A G E N
WORDS
VICKY LANE
Meet the set designers responsible
for some of the world’s best playgrounds
Play actors
in bispeparken,
a quiet, northern district of Copenhagen,
there’s a monster in the playground. Blue-skinned and about
the length of an average bus, this angry robot sits sullenly as
shrieking children attempt to clamber on his head.
It might sound dangerous, perhaps if the monster were real,
but, of course, he’s not. In fact, this giant blue figure was partly
created by kids like these in a brainstorming session with
Monstrum, the award-winning company behind some of the
world’s best play spaces.
“We believe playgrounds should be like a theatre set,”
explains Monstrum co-founder Ole B Nielsen, who holds such
sessions with youngsters to keep ideas fresh. “They’re a stage
for a wonderful narrative.”
It’s an appropriate analogy considering the father-of-one’s
background. A former visual artist, Nielsen spent years
building theatre sets in Copenhagen. It was only after
attending a meeting about a new playground at his son’s
preschool in 2003 that he realised he might be able to
contribute more than just a few ideas.
“I really wanted to do something special for them, so I
thought, ‘Why not take the knowledge I had from creating
stage sets and apply it here?’”
Enlisting the help of Christian Jensen, a designer who’s
now his business partner, the pair built their first playset. “As
with all our designs, it was created to be visually exciting, and
also challenge the cognitive skills of our young clients,” says
Nielsen. “They’re made to be explored; to make children
assess risks, and, of course, to use their imaginations.”
As the story of the bespoke play area spread, requests
piled up, and Monstrum was born. Ten years on, the company
is responsible for projects across Denmark and Sweden, from
dragons and insects to lopsided towns and haunted houses.
“We’ve built around 80 playgrounds now,” says Nielson. “Each
is a mix between art, theatre and architecture. A theatrical
space for fantasy to thrive.”
Find a playground near you at
monstrum.dk
FUN AND GAMES
01
Brumleby playground,
Copenhagen
02
Christian Jensen (left)
and Ole B Nielsen
03
On the North Sea
Oceanarium’s
sperm whale
04
The Bispeparken
Monster
02
03
04
01
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R E G U L A R S
