The sustainable play area for little holidaymakers

The Family Nature Resort Moar Gut in Großarl (AT) impresses with a new child care and play area on 1.000 m2, the so-called children's farm. Thanks to a diverse range of rooms, little hotel guests can pursue their needs and interests freely and independently. Natural materials such as wood, sheep's wool, cork and linen create a healthy room climate. A special highlight is the unique, climbing net made of hemp ropes. All installations up to the fall protection mats were made by local craft businesses according to environmentally conscious aspects. Yes, it's possible to avoid plastic entirely!

Innovation
Especially in the children's areas of most family hotels an extraordinary amount of plastic can be found: PVC floor coverings, gym mats made of foam, bouncy castles and plastic toys. Soft play systems are generally regarded as a quality feature and highlight, that even modern, supposedly nature-loving luxury hotels advertise. What seems to be appreciated by hoteliers and guests, however, harms our children. Studies show that plastic residues can be found in the body of almost all children, especially plasticizers. They are considered to be hormonally active chemicals and are carcinogenic. When heated or rubbed, plasticizers can dissolve from plastics and enter the body through inhalation, the skin or the mouth.

It needs pioneers like the 5* Family Nature Resort Moar Gut, which exemplarily demonstrate that playing can function perfectly without plastic. More than that: The hotel now shines with a unique children's play area that is not only fun, but also natural and healthy.

The use of natural materials, the reduction to the essentials and the return to non-digital toys create a sustainable and valuable environment for children that is new to the industry.

Creativity and Functionality
The favorites of the little hotel guests are the basis for the redesign of the children's farm: the mascot Gusti, the white rooster, his wife Henriette and the two chicks Henri and Berta. The habitat of the winged animals structures the floor plan of around 1,000 m2. The shape, material and color of the different areas are inspired by air, earth and stables. In addition, emphasis was placed on Pikler's movement concepts and children's independence in the sense of Montessori pedagogy: "“When a child is given a little leeway, he will at once shout, ’I want to do it!’ But in our schools, which have an environment adapted to children’s needs, they say, ‘Help me to do it alone.’”

Even the cloakroom shows that children play the main role here! It is not just a place to change clothes with furniture designed to accommodate the dimensions of small people, children like to hang out here, play catch or explore the area on a wooden scooter or room car.

The entry into the kindergarten, the stable, leads through a small door and conveys appreciation and respect. Natural oiled wooden floors and walls surround the children and provide a warm feeling of security.

The diverse range of rooms allows the children to pursue their needs and interests freely and independently and thus fosters them naturally.

Chicken ladders, ramps, slides, caves and niches enable even the youngest children to independently follow their natural curiosity and make their own experiences. Loopholes in the form of eggshells support the outstanding design language.

The new gym with a slide and climbing wall as well as a unique group swing made of stainless steel and hemp is particularly popular with older children.

In the parent & child area, different room and play experiences open up on two levels. A cloudscape made of sheep's wool runs through the light-flooded, spacious castle in the air. It is not only aesthetically convincing, but also has a sound-absorbing function. In the castle in the air children are invited to “flutter”, romp, slide, climb and swing. A central location and a special highlight is the unique vertical climbing net made of natural fibers, which connects the two contrasting levels. The cave-like character of the level below creates private areas or retreats for reading and cuddling.

Illustrations on the walls make the conscious selection of sustainable materials in all areas tangible for the whole family.

Sustainability
The basic substance of the pre-existing buildings of the 5* Family Nature Resort Moar Gut was preserved. In the course of the redesign, individual walls and ceilings were broken through to create larger and lighter rooms.

A special highlight is the unique climbing net made of hemp ropes. After all, plastics such as polyester, polyamide or polyethylene are usually used today to produce ropes. But nature offers a better alternative: Hemp is an extremely frugal plant and a renewable raw material. Its special characteristics such as strength, durability and fire resistance were already valued in ancient times. In Austria there are unfortunately only a few rope makers left who keep the craftsmanship of natural fiber processing alive. This makes it even more important to ensure the existence of the profession through custom-made products. The climbing net was produced by the Haanl rope factory in Vienna.

In general, when choosing materials and products, attention was paid to ecological sustainability and regional processing. It is noteworthy that no effort has been spared to create a healthy play environment. And so attention was paid to all details - right down to the fall protection mats and changing mats, which were specially made from natural materials by the local upholsterer in order to avoid the not so eco-friendly products on the market.

All wooden fixtures were made of high quality from white oiled spruce by the local joinery Huber from Hüttschlag.

We are Anna Maislinger (*1985) and Michael Schwab (*1979). Anna has an eye for the essential and wants to create the best possible future. Michael is a trained carpenter and tinkerer. He develops furniture with a focus on timeless aesthetics, function and efficiency. We both studied design and product management at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. After graduating, we founded the sustainable design studio IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE in order to work on projects that we consider meaningful. We live in Salzburg, Austria, together with our little daughter.