A58 MAGIC CIRCLE

Many schools in Thai province struggle financially relying on support from local communities. They grow fruits and vegetables to serve children and generate additional income. Teachers, villagers and even pupils are actively involved in running and maintenance of school, which turns into focal point of local communities.

Magic circle is a pilot playground project which can be replicated on various scales in other vulnerable schools without skilled workers, or sophisticated tools, using soil and bamboo. Its design, aimed at cognitive, mental and social development of children, is based on affordances theory by James Gibson according to which surrounding is seen not in its physical form but as a series of opportunities for action. In this way children curate their own playing experience.

Project developed together with Bangkok Tokyo Architecture Co., Ltd. and PHTAA Living Design Co., Ltd.