Blue Planet

Blue Planet – A water playground for award-winning architecture Water and sand are among the most important resources on earth. There's no doubt about that. But they are also the most popular play materials. Combined with our stainless steel water play system, they become magic on any playground. When planning Blue Planet, the Copenhagen-based 3XN architectural team decided to enrich their fantastic building with an entire water play landscape. The result is a fascinating play area that blends in perfectly with the award-winning architecture of Blue Planet. The Blue Planet – Denmark's national aquarium Marvel at rays and sharks in the underwater tunnel, let off steam in the water playground with water pumps and sluices, or go on a discovery tour in the rainforest: there's never a dull moment at the Blue Planet. The Blue Planet is Denmark's largest and most modern aquarium and boasts spectacular architecture. Located on the shores of the Öresund, the award-winning building looks like a giant whirlpool that draws visitors into a new world and shows them life beneath the surface of the water. Diamond-shaped aluminum panels that nestle against the undulating exterior façade characterize the aquarium's appearance. Like the surface of water, the aluminum reflects the colors and light of the sky. It changes its hue and transforms into a mirror image of nature. The Blue Planet is one of the largest walk-through aquariums in Northern Europe. Visitors can marvel at thousands of aquatic species in an indoor area covering a total of 10,000 square meters. It has also already received international recognition. The architects at 3XN received several awards for their design concept, including the RIBA EU architect award and the award for best building at the renowned World Architecture Festival. However, it is not only its shape that sets it apart, but also its 2,000 square meter outdoor area. Every year, over 700,000 visitors come to the aquarium, including lots of families with kids. It's because of these little guests that the Copenhagen-based architecture team 3XN decided to add a big water play area to the building. The result is a fascinating play area, which was created by playground equipment manufacturer Kaiser & Kühne in collaboration with its Danish partner CADO. Clear shapes, timeless design Architecturally, the water play area in front of the entrance to Blue Planet blends seamlessly into its surroundings. Clear shapes and clarity are well suited to the urban waterside environment. The play equipment, made of shimmering stainless steel, not only echoes the look of the aquarium's silver façade, but also fits in with the urban context of the surrounding area. From the outset, it was important to the design and architecture team at Kaiser & Kühne that the water playground blend seamlessly and naturally into its surroundings. The harbor with its view of the Öresund, the modern architecture, and the spectacular structure of the Blue Planet—all of this forms a harmonious, urban overall picture that the water playground should reflect. “When we plan a facility like this, the location is important to us first and foremost. We find the building here incredibly fascinating because its structure picks up on the theme of water, while the aluminum used for the façade gives our stainless steel material a place alongside it,” explains Wolfram Ziegenhorn from Kaiser & Kühne, whose team is responsible for designing the play equipment. At the same time, the playground, the Blue Planet, and nature interact with each other through their play of colors. The aluminum facade of the aquarium playfully reflects daylight across its entire surface—even in the evening or at night. Depending on the daylight and sunlight, the playground and the Blue Planet reflect light in their own unique ways. The play equipment blends delicately and subtly into this interplay of colors. It reflects the light effects of the Blue Planet and the sky, complementing this view with its own nuances. Like in a large orchestra, the individual pieces of play equipment reproduce the sounds of an entire ensemble. The planning team also took advantage of the local geography to make the theme of water an experience for all the senses: the slope down to the Öresund is ideal for a variety of water channels, allowing all the play elements to be arranged in a fan shape around the Blue Planet. The playground picks up on the central architectural theme of the Blue Planet architecture: the water vortex. If you look closely, you can see the water splashes of the vortex in the playground. Like a large fan, the individual strands open up into the surroundings and invite children to play and explore.