The playground is centrally located on an elevated site within Vasaparken, one of Stockholm inner city’s major urban parks. With its undulating landscape, Vasaparken forms a significant green element within the dense city, serving as an important destination and excursion area for schools, local residents and visitors from across the Stockholm region.

The aim of the project was to create an exciting and challenging playground, inspired by Astrid Lindgren’s short story Peter and Petra and the Swedish landscape. The design has been developed through an inclusive process, informed by dialogues with children, public surveys and park consultations.

Play value, Narrative theme, and Safety

In Vasaparken, imagination and recognition come together through a design inspired by Astrid Lindgren’s story of Peter and Petra and the Swedish nature — a narrative that runs throughout the entire playground. By manipulating scale and creating miniature environments, the design strengthens the site’s identity and legibility, allowing for both imaginative role-play and physically challenging climbing and balancing activities.

The adventure play area serves as a landmark, with spruce-shaped wooden climbing towers, while the toddler play area forms a protected oasis enclosed by fences and low walls. This creates a safe environment for younger children, with clear visibility and oversized elements inspired by the story’s school setting. The overall design emphasizes safety through clear zoning for different age groups, effective general lighting, and lighting integrated into playhouses — supporting natural supervision and a clear spatial structure.

Movement, Circulation, and Orientation

To ensure a functional flow, wide paths have been established throughout the playground. These routes, equipped with seating and areas for informal play, create clear movement patterns that reduce the risk of dead ends and make the park easy to navigate. As visitors move through the playground’s different spaces — where one can feel both large and small — the experience unfolds as a cohesive narrative at a human scale. Functional circulation has also been prioritized to support maintenance: a main path of at least 2.5 meters enables access to all areas without the need for vehicles to reverse, ensuring safe routes for both children and staff, as well as structured site management.

Vegetation, Ecology, and Sustainability

Sustainability has been a key parameter in the project. Existing walls and structures have been preserved, and equipment has been refurbished to minimize climate impact. Material choices emphasize durability and circularity, supporting long-term maintenance. Beyond technical performance, vegetation plays a crucial role in shaping the park’s experiential qualities. It stimulates children’s imagination and introduces spatial variation, while also contributing to ecological resilience by improving the microclimate, managing stormwater locally, and enhancing biodiversity. By combining natural materials such as wood chips with strategically placed trees, a playful and sustainable environment has been created for long-term use.

Client: City of Stockholm – City District Department of Northern Inner City

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