Searches for playgrounds have been climbing steadily on Pinterest over the last year. We round up 10 unconventional playgrounds that encourage socialisation from our Pinterest.

Designers and studios in this round-up have aimed to create unique spaces for children that encourage them to explore and discover. Studios such as WAA cleverly repurposed unused warehouses into play areas for children of all ages.

Scroll down to see 10 projects from our playground board on Pinterest.

The Playscape, China, by We Architech Anonymous (WAA)

A group of former grain warehouses forms The Playscape, which was designed as a spaces for children of all ages to play.

WAA created crawlspaces, climbing areas with hanging fabrics, a suspended tensile net area and classrooms – as well as a library and restaurant for a children's healthcare provider as a "tool for sensory learning".

Find out more about The Playscape ›

Rocks on Wheels, Australia, by Mike Hewson

Rocks on Wheels is a public playground in Melbourne, Australia, designed by New Zealand artist Mike Hewson.

Boulders which were garnered from a Victorian quarry, were placed on furniture dolleys creating a play space for children to climb and explore.

Find out more about Rocks on Wheels ›

Breakwater, USA, by, Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster

Breakwater is a concrete sky-blue playground in New York made of repurposed wavebreakers created by Canadian designers Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster.

The pair placed the blocks atop a poured-in-place rubber surface to prevent children from falling and coated them in sky-blue polyurea, a spray-on non-slip waterproof coating.

Find out more about Breakwater › 

Red Dunes Playtopia, China, by XISUI Design

Natural forms such as mountains and caves inspired the design of this playground in Guangzhou, China, created by XISUI Design.

The playground which is built atop an underground parking unit, has a structure made from a load-bearing concrete shell and encompasses an arrangement of hills and arches which promote climbing and discovery.

Find out more about Red Dunes Playtopia ›

Doha Modern Playground, Qatar, Shezad Dawood

Artist Shezad Dawood collaborated with architectural historian Fatma Al Sahlawi to choose four Qatari buildings to make in miniature for this Doha playground.

Doha Modern Playground features two benches as well as four play objects based on the national theatre, a hotel, post office and university buildings.

Find out more about Doha Modern Playground ›

The Folds, China, by Atelier Scale

Atelier Scale designed this small community playground in Changzhou, China, with minimal playground equipment to encourage children to explore.

The studio added a waved-shaped seating area which features a decorative foundation.

Find out more about The Folds ›

Conversations, France, by Olivier Vadrot

French designer Olivier Vadrot created an open-air playground comprised of geometric structures to inspire socialisation between children.

The project, named Conversations, was designed as a space for young people to share thoughts, tell stories and play.

Find out more about Conversations ›

Day One at Tom Lee Park, USA, by Studio Gang and SCAPE

A mass-timber canopy covers this public park in Memphis designed by Studio Gang and SCAPE. The park includes a river-themed playground, a basketball court and acres of landscaped space.

A permanent installation designed by artist Theaster Gates and a sculpture created by artist David Allan Clark can also be found in the space.

Find out more about Day One at Tom Lee Park ›

Animal Factory, the Netherlands, by Luca Boscardin

Toy designer Luca Boscardin added four steel sculptures of wild animals which are based on his colourful line drawings to a public playground in Amsterdam.

The life-sized structures which are shaped like a giraffe, a crocodile, a gorilla and a wolf, can be used as climbing frames for children as well as a space for adults to exercise or store their bicycles.

Find out more about the Animal Factory ›

Nickerson Gardens Playground, USA, by NBBJ and Flea

This year, architecture studio NBBJ teamed up with musician Flea of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to restore a playground in Los Angeles.

The pair worked with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles on the redesign of the space. ESI Design, the design studio within NBBJ, created slides, swings and a carousel for the public housing complex.

Find out more about Nickerson Gardens Playground ›

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