Island life on the Loire
A small habitat on the Loire was staged near Orleans last year in an approximatly 700 times magnification to an impressive play island. In the center is an approximately 15 m long and 7 m high heron. He consists of two parts. Head and body are connected by a lattice tunnel. The transparent neck, long legs and dagger-like beak lets the heron hover across the square. It is a great adventure to climb into the heron’s huge hull and get into the head via the lattice tunnel. The whole thing can of course also be done in reverse. The hull itself is a huge hiding place where optical and acoustic games are offered. A 5 m high tunnel slide leads from the fuselage back to the ground. The heron is followed by a climbing and balancing unit that ends in a wooden bird’s nest. Both objects form a semicircle around a 2 m high beaver castle. Their diameter is approximately 4.5 m. In the immediate vicinity of the heron, an approximately 7 m long and 3.5 m high head of a fish protrudes from the water. He got caught in a tangle of fishing nets. Maybe the heron frees him – maybe he eats him too. From the three surrounding birdhouse combinations with adjoining seating elements, young and old can watch this game from a safe distance.
The playground is a cooperation project between SIK-Holz® and Kompan France. We would like to thank everyone involved for the good cooperation and wish many visitors to the small river island on the Loire.