World’s First 3D-Printed Parkour Playground Is Set To Open In Prague
Image via Buřinka
If you have had reservations about 3D-printed architecture being anywhere as sturdy as traditionally-built structures, the world’s first 3D-printed parkour playground is set to be jumped, spun, run, and climbed on to prove you wrong.
Opening in Prague, the Czech Republic in late September, the space aims to encourage people to spend more time outdoors. “[It is] essential to have a possibility to spend free time outdoors, safely, close to home,” notes Libor Vošický, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Buřinka, the architecture studio behind the project and the firm that constructed the country’s first 3D-printed house. “There are many playgrounds for preschoolers, but older children don’t have many options, so we decided to use innovative 3D printing technology to create a parkour playground.”
The parkour playground, spanning 14 x 12-meters (45.9 x 39.4-feet) in size, is outfitted with rebetong—a special recycled concrete produced by researchers of the Brno University of Technology—and other environmentally-friendly materials, Yanko Design reports.
Image via Buřinka
Due to the sport’s rigorous nature of traveling from point A to B in unconventional ways of jumping, running, and more, the printed obstacles are constructed with concrete and protected with cast rubber for high impact.
Daniel Samek, the Buřinka architect who designed the playground, describes that the project enticed him as parkour welcomes both children and adults to partake in recreation while not requiring expensive equipment. “It brings a revival to parkour,” he adds.
A project like this would also address problems plaguing the country’s construction industry, which is facing labor shortages and high costs in building materials. “Housing does not mean just four walls,” Vošický reiterates, detailing that 3D printing with cheaper materials applies to outdoor spaces and structures of different shapes too.
The first-ever parkour playground will greet its first visitors at the end of September at the new leisure area in Prague’s Kupecký Elementary School.
Image via Buřinka
[via Yanko Design, images via Buřinka]
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