“Răspiua” creates an inclusive environment for the personal development of tomorrow’s adults through a multi-sensory playground. This initiative addresses all children, including those with disabilities such as mobility, vision, and hearing impairments. By establishing accessible public playgrounds at a national level, “Răspiua” offers vulnerable children personalized play experiences while promoting empathetic interactions with able-bodied peers.

The project emphasizes personal development, muscle stimulation, empathy among children, social education, and the accountability of public administration and the local community. The playground equipment design was a collaborative effort, incorporating feedback from focus groups and playground observations with children from partner schools. This research documented their favorite materials, preferred play activities, and challenges faced in existing playgrounds.

The project had two phases:

1. Design, production, and installation of the playground at a daycare in District 4 (2016-2017).
2. Creation of a sensory garden to enhance the children’s multi-sensory experiences (2018-2019).

After the research phase, our first step was to establish a modular structure to create a cohesive and easily understandable play installation. The circular design fosters a “limitless” space, a technique often used in children’s projects, allowing them to run freely and channel their energy through unrestricted movement. The modules also provide spatial orientation cues, making it easier to navigate. The play installation is divided into six distinct zones, each with its own unique character for easy identification:

1. Tentacle Forest: vertical tubular elements made of foam and covered in poliplan, a feature unanimously favored in focus groups and playdates; this area heightens awareness of one’s body.
2. Tunnel: A curved wall that reflects light and distorts images, offering visual stimulation while facilitating orientation. It also creates a quieter, secluded area for when a break is needed, featuring horizontal sponge tubular elements to further engage children’s bodies and muscles.
3. Sound Zone: metal cylinders filled with varying amounts of sand and stones, producing different sounds when rotated, stimulating both auditory senses and muscles.
4. Texture Panels: an educational area with various textures—wood, metal, perforated sheet, river stones stabilized in resin, colored sand, lavender, shells, and tree bark—that engage all senses.
5. Periscope/‘Audioscope’: a communication zone with a device for talking or listening through a wall, plus a periscope offering a different perspective.
6. Central Area: a soft, flexible surface designed for easy wheelchair transfer, encouraging balance and serving as a socialising or resting space. This area was removed after in-use analysis to offer more freedom in use. 

“Răspiua” is a Romanian term reminiscent of childhood, signifying the opposite of “time-out.”