Playground, Montessori School, Delft, Netherlands, by Herman

Playground, Montessori School, Delft, Netherlands, by Herman Hertzberger, Architect
“The terrain behind and in front
of the school is articulated by
means of a large number of
low walls and divided into
many separate areas. The
strips of ground between the
evenly grouped walls are
meant for garden plots and
sandpits, but could be used in
other ways. The walls
themselves are no more than a
half-finished construction that
the children may complete.
The perforated blocks of which
the walls are made in turn,
have small openings which can
be filled in, so that the walls
themselves have the scope to
complement the things they are
built around. Thus, at the edge
of the flowerbeds are square
flowerpots, while the edges of
the sandpits consist of endless
rows of sand and water
containers, from which to sell
doughnuts and ice cream over
the stone counter. Sticks can
be set in the holes so that one
has the beginnings of a tent.
Whenever these perforated
blocks are used, they always
seem to provide storage space
for something or other with
their handy compartments.”
Lüchinger, Arnulf. Herman
Hertzberger: Buildings and
Projects, 1959-1986. (Den
Haag: Arch-Edition, 1987),
pp. 60-61