Play Land at Serravalle Designer Outlet

Project Description

Play with legacy

Tucked away in the picturesque mountains of Piemonte, some small towns stand out as shining gems among the lush green forests. These small agglomerations of few houses tied together, were the inspiration for Carve’s design of an iconic playscape at Serravalle Designer Outlet. Carve was asked by McArthurGlen, a long-standing client with whom Carve has built a strong collaboration, to create a multifunctional design that would incorporate a range of features: an iconic playscape, a main event square, a picnic area, an indoor creche, and a lighting and shading structure, all connected by a common design language.

To achieve this, our team at Carve took a flexible approach, basing the entire plan on a strong geometric pattern that could be easily adapted to the various functions required.

Sized down colourful village

For the playground at Serravalle Designer Outlet, Carve imagined a small, vibrant village that is scaled down to a child’s size, designed to spark curiosity in both young and adults. From the outset, our team took a multi-age approach to the design, resulting in a one-of-akind play village built from clusters of hexagonal plateaus and towers, where kids can explore and move from one tower to the next in a winding maze. Like the charming mountain towns of Piemonte, this playscape is slightly elevated, with various entry points and a maze-like alleyway with squares peeking out from the surroundings, giving the play village a truly authentic mountain settlement feel.

Plaza for all

The main event square at Serravalle Designer Outlet serves as the central hub where visitors enter the space. This open area is designed to accommodate a wide range of activities, from temporary events and exhibitions, to outdoor cinema screenings. Our concept was to create a welcoming and inviting space where people could relax and watch their children play, either from a distance or up close. Seating elements and a large spanning shading structure have been arranged in the space. These strategies are all aimed at creating a plaza that can be shared by the local community and is lively and attractive throughout the day and all seasons.

Green plinth

A ribbon of vegetation is woven around and through the spaces, forming a green horizontal plinth that creates the feeling of “a village in the nature”. This design element not only hides the parking area from view, but also provides a safe and welcoming space where children can play freely, sheltered from the carpark.

Community picnic area

Campers who regularly use the client’s private parking space at Serravalle Designer Outlet are welcomed and have seen their facilities improve, with the addition of three public barbecues integrated into the new picnic area. Open to all users, including customers, passersby, and members of the local community, the picnic area is designed as a lushly planted spot with a cozy, intimate atmosphere, as if you are nestled in a private garden with trees providing shade.

Hardscape design

To pave the entire area, our team designed an irregular pattern of tiles that creates a gradient of grey tones. These tiles are made of concrete with a natural stone aggregate, and are shaped like triangles that fit together to form hexagons, referencing the design of the towers and creating a unified, cohesive whole. The triangular tiles were specially fabricated for this project.

Play village

The play village at Serravalle Designer Outlet consists of four distinct zones: toddler towers, sensory towers, active and adventure towers, and lounge and lookout towers. The last three are grouped together to form the main play area, while the toddler zone is separate. This design allows children of all ages to explore and play in a vibrant world of shapes and colors, with endless possibilities for routing and discovery. Like in a play maze, kids can play in, on, and between the towers. The play functions are allocated according to age groups, offering easy or more challenging experiences. Children will love running up the steps, sliding down, hiding, and discovering the interior of the towers, which include a variety of elements such as tunnels, trampolines, hammocks and nets, kaleidoscopic installations, tactile ropes, mirrors, and much more.

Design inclusiveness

Social play is achieved by creating connections between the world inside the play houses and the play activities on the “street”. These connections are both physical (through ramps, climbing nets, or grips) and visual (with transparent wooden cladding and perforated walls). Inclusiveness was a key consideration in the design process, and children with physical disabilities can access the entire play village and most of the play towers through ramps. Benches placed along the edges of the hexagonal platforms provide seating for parents, creating a cozy, village-like atmosphere reminiscent of a small Italian street.

Playing with contrasts

In our design, we enjoy exploring and balancing opposites. In this case, we have revitalized the local mountain heritage with a colorful twist, transforming a tiny rustic village into a completely new and exciting experience. This approach has been highly appreciated by McArthurGlen, and has been extended and incorporated into other surrounding structures, creating an immersive experience that we believe will invite people to return again and again.