SPACE June 2025 (No. 691)
Play Objects (2020). Play structures installed in three underused urban spaces in central Bangkok during Bangkok Design Week 2020. This project reimagines these spaces not as useless or abandoned, but as places with the potential to become meaningful venues for the community, aiming to activate them as outdoor public play areas. ©Behype Perspective
Kim Bokyoung (Kim): While Imaginary Objects (iO) takes on a wide range of projects, they have received the most recognition for their expertise in playground design. What initially led you to focus on playgrounds?
Roberto Requejo Belette (Requejo): Our interest in playground design emerged from a combination of factors. Early on, we recognised that playgrounds offered a unique opportunity to create architectural spaces that are joyful, inclusive, and formally distinctive. As parents and educators, Bunnag and I have experienced playgrounds firsthand with our children and understand their value as powerful learning environments.
Yarinda Bunnag (Bunnag): Living in Bangkok, we also became acutely aware of the lack of high-quality outdoor playgrounds in the city. At the same time, we noticed an abundance of underused pocket spaces scattered throughout Bangkok—spaces that hold great potential to become vibrant community hubs. We saw playgrounds as the perfect tool to activate these forgotten corners, bringing new life, learning, and connection to the urban fabric. This perspective ultimately shaped our thesis for Play Objects (2020) for Bangkok Design Week 2020.
Kim: In line with iO’s perspective, there seems to be a new trend of proposing pavilions as a kind of play space. In what ways does iO’s approach to design playground distinguish itself from these play pavilions?
Bunnag: While we haven’t actively considered how our work diverges from the current trend for community playgrounds, we are pleased to see a growing enthusiasm for creating ...
