Wishing to extend the playground space but operating with a typically thin budget, architects Haugen/ Zohar designed and created this amazing enclosed space for fire, storytelling and playing.

Reusing leftover materials (from a nearby construction site) led the design to be based on short wooden pieces.

“Inspired by the Norwegian turf huts and old log construction, a 5,2×4,5 meters wooden construction was built and mounted on a lighted and brushed concrete base. The structure is made of 80-layered circles. The circles have varied radiuses and relative centre point in relation to each other. Every circle is made out of 28 pieces of naturally impregnated core of pine that are placed with varied spaces to assure chimney effect and natural  light. Oak separators differentiate vertically between the pine pieces to assure airflow allowing easy drying of the pine pieces.”  – The Contemporist

I find, when designing, that often the best ideas come when I have a very narrowed field of requirements rather than a wide open slate.  That’s what I think happened here.  By re-using materials and controlling cost in an extreme way, this innovative and beautiful design emerged.   Do you find that to be true when you design?