CLIMBING PARK OF LUOFU MOUNTAIN

Located in the Guandun Province of China, the Climbing Park of Mount Luofu now offers a maze of climbing nets that turns the forest into a great place to merge nature with play. Chinese architectural practice Unarchitecte designed a 5000 sqm climbing park in the mountain’s forest for the local school; however, the space is also available for all visitors, even adult ones.

Building a complex climbing system, the architects connected all the trees in the valley through hundreds of diverse white triangle nets, creating a combination of various topological surfaces — a figurative ‘white sea’ for kids to play on. Hanging baskets fixed at different levels are also linked to each other through several round yards at the bottom of the valley.

A slender ladder slides straight down from the top of one side of the mountain to an octagonal glass maze standing on a suspended square. Two huge spiral tubes and hemispherical tents hold students inside of them, allowing them to gather among the crowns of the trees.

Thanks to the climbing park, children have direct access to nature at varying heights, helping them to connect with squirrels, sing with birds and enjoy the sunshine from a range of perspectives. Through nature-based play, users are encouraged to build friendships and learn to help each other.

No trees were cut down during the construction of the park, except for already withered specimens. In the basic climbing system, each side of a triangle net is fixed to a tree by solid steel wire ropes. If the gap between trunks was too wide or the trunk was not strong enough, the architects set columns to serve as supplemental support posts.

The entire forest forms one large unit, with a second safety net under the higher canopy of nets. Multiple exits set to the ground can be accessed throughout the structure and also provide ventilation. In addition, the scope of activities is defined by yards and corridors on the ground, which is easy to administrate and ensures the safety of students.