Children`s Activity Centre @ Skinners Playground

Four shipping containers were completely recycled and transformed into a playful Children’s Activity Centre at Skinners Adventure Playground, City of Port Phillip, Australia.

This project is part of the backyard of the neighbouring public housing. It is a place where vulnerable kids can study and play after school. The brief was responded to with function, materiality, built form and aesthetics.

Containers were sliced, staggered and stacked. The building is not just a playground, but a kind of house / office / school for the kids. A variety of intimate and public multi-function spaces were created for dance, painting classes, playing computer games, study and lounging about. Combined inside-outside play spaces are created when the shipping container doors are open.

All materials brought to site were robust, recycled, reclaimed, plantation or salvaged from demolition.

The construction waste produced by slicing containers turned into a design feature. Material off-cuts were returned into the construction process using feedback design logic. The whole carcass of the shipping containers was used. All waste materials were refashioned to function as structural balustrade, awnings, linings and decorative cladding. The representation of the final design catalogues all the re-located waste materials.

Summer comfort was achieved by ventilation aligned with the sea and shading by stairs, deck, awning and trees. Winter comfort was achieved by solar orientation and thermal insulation.

This project was delivered on a meagre budget.