Water and sand are among the most important resources on earth – and they are also two of the most popular play materials. Combined with our stainless steel water play system, they become ‘magic’ on every playground.
When designing the Blue Planet, Copenhagen-based architectural firm 3XN made a conscious decision to expand the building to include a spacious water play area. The result is a fascinating stainless steel water playground, which Kaiser & Kühne created in collaboration with its Danish partner and which blends perfectly into the award-winning architecture.
The Blue Planet – Denmark’s national aquarium
Marvel at rays and sharks in the underwater tunnel, get active in the water playground with pumps and locks, or embark on a discovery tour in the rainforest: there’s never a dull moment at the National Aquarium Denmark – Den Blå Planet.
The Blue Planet is Denmark’s largest and most modern aquarium and is considered the largest aquarium in Northern Europe. Covering an indoor area of around 10,000 m² and an outdoor area of around 2,000 m², visitors can experience thousands of aquatic species and a total of around seven million litres of water – right on the shores of the Öresund in Kastrup near Copenhagen.
The building immediately catches the eye architecturally: like a giant whirlpool, it draws guests into its vortex-shaped floor plan and thus figuratively ‘under the water’s surface’. Numerous awards – including the RIBA EU Architect Award and the ‘Best Building’ prize at the World Architecture Festival – underline the iconic character of the building.
Water play area with clean lines and stainless steel
The water playground is located directly in front of the aquarium entrance and is part of the outdoor area that surrounds the Blue Planet on all sides. The play equipment, made of shimmering stainless steel, echoes the look of the silver, diamond-shaped aluminium façade and fits perfectly with the urban location right by the sea.
The water play area comprises several levels and water channels that fan out towards the Öresund. Children can control and change the flow of water themselves using pumps, sluices, channels and basins. A water spiral and other stainless steel water play equipment allow children to experience water in different ways – without deep pools, but with a high level of movement and experimentation.
As a highly frequented tourist attraction, Blue Planet required a particularly durable, robust and maintenance-friendly solution. The stainless steel appliances used are based on the high standards that we document with our quality seals.
Architecture, location and playground in dialogue
From the outset, it was important to the design and architecture team at Kaiser & Kühne that the water playground blend seamlessly and naturally into the architectural concept of Blue Planet. The harbour overlooking the Öresund, the spectacular shape of the building and the surrounding water basin around the aquarium create a harmonious overall picture that is continued in the playground.
“When we plan a facility like this, the location is important to us first and foremost. We find the building here incredibly fascinating because its structure picks up on the theme of water, while the aluminum used for the façade gives our stainless steel material a place alongside it,” explains Wolfram Ziegenhorn from Kaiser & Kühne, whose team is responsible for designing the play equipment.
At the same time, the water playground, building and surroundings interact with each other through their play of colours and light. The aluminium facade reflects daylight like a water surface, while the stainless steel equipment reflects light and colours in its own nuances. This creates an interplay in which architecture, landscape and playground equipment act like an orchestra – each element contributing its part to the overall sound.
The planning team took advantage of the natural slope towards the Öresund to make the theme of water an experience for all the senses: the channels and play lines open up like a fan towards the coast and pick up on the central motif of Blue Planet architecture – the water vortex. If you look closely, you can see the ‘water splashes’ of this vortex in the arrangement of the play elements.
Further information about the aquarium, its architecture and outdoor facilities can be found on the official website of the National Aquarium Denmark – Den Blå Planet and in the article about the opening of the water playground.
