Carve

Carve is a design and engineering studio that specializes in creating public spaces that connect society in a playful way. Our primary focus is on designing and developing playable and unconventional spaces such as parks, urban squares, playgrounds, sports and skate facilities, schoolyards and so on. We work with a diverse range of clients including local governments, developers, manufacturers of playground equipment, and architects. Founded in 1997 by Elger Blitz and Mark van der Eng, Carve has grown into a multidisciplinary company that brings together several design disciplines, from industrial design to landscape architecture.

At Carve, we see play as a vital component of life on the public realm. Our designs prioritize both challenge and safety, and we create environments for people of all ages, groups, and backgrounds. We set aside preconceived notions of play that rely on directive activities and limit interaction options. Instead, we develop multifunctional spaces that foster possibilities for play and facilitate the unexpected. We prefer to work from an abstract point of view, creating playable landscapes, and multi-use interventions. These settings bring people together, and form places where everyone can feel at ease and discover new things.

In our view, every project deserves a unique approach, aligning with the client’s wishes and the architectural context. At the same time we believe that the true measure of a project’s success lies not only in its design, but also in the quality of its construction. Our team’s diversity allows us to work across all scale levels, and to be involved in every phase of the building process, from planning to final touches. We draw on our extensive technical knowledge and experience to carefully plan and prepare also the construction process, including technical specifications and cost estimates. In this way we can ensure that our designs are executed to the highest standards.