A Contemporary Terraced Playspace Celebrates Imagination
A young married couple asked architects Teresa Rosano and Luis Ibarra to redesign their older home on a Tucson, Arizona, hillside with the goal of bringing a sleek, contemporary aesthetic to the natural desert landscape. Years later, when the family had grown, the team returned to extend the house with a 900-square-foot children's wing and a 1,600-square-foot outdoor play area.
The hillside location presented a challenge, though. The only place to put the play area was right where the hill dramatically dropped off. Rosano and Ibarra responded to the rugged desert topography by using clean, horizontal lines and terracing the landscape into three levels to incorporate the edge of the hill safely. The design maintains the sophistication of the residence but is still all about having fun.
Because the rest of the house is so contemporary, the designers went for something more minimalist than the typical bulky plastic play structure (which would not have held up well to the harsh Arizona sun anyway).
The blue recycled rubber play surface has cushioning that creates a safe landing spot for kids performing gymnastic tumbles. It's also easy to pull up, so the owners can swap in decking or grass once their children have outgrown the space.
The 1,600-square-foot space has multiple settings for different kinds of play. The kids can run, jump, climb and be imaginative.
There are three terraces that step down the hill. The highest is at the existing house level and has a small herb garden and a shaded canopy; the adults can enjoy the view to the city while keeping an eye on the kids. The grassy landscape on the second level provides space for active games.
The lowest level features a recycled rubber play surface, a sandbox and a steel cube structure — perfect as a performance stage or makeshift playhouse.
"We wanted the space to evolve," says Rosano. "What a 3-year-old may want to do is only temporary. We wanted to create a space that could grow with the family over time."
The designers fabricated the shade cube from steel and galvanized steel stud tracks. But there's really no avoiding the heat in Arizona. While the metal is hot to the touch in the sun, the heat dissipates more quickly from this type of material than from concrete or rock once the sun goes down.
The plastered outer wall of the playscape addition is in keeping with the contemporary lines of the residence. It serves as a protective barrier to keep the children from wandering too far.
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