Playrise

Playrise is a UK-based charity established with the mission of restoring access to play for the 48 million children living in disaster-relief sites globally. The group brings together architects, engineers, and fabricators who share the belief that play is not a luxury but an essential part of how children come to understand themselves, the world around them, and their place within it.

In summer 2025, the team travelled to Aysaita camp in Ethiopia, a Palestinian community hub in Cairo, and a Sudanese refugee settlement in Karkar, southern Egypt, working directly with children and families to explore how play is understood in each context, from spaces that feel safe to those that invite movement, imagination, and joy.

The design that emerged is a modular system that can be transported easily, assembled with simple tools, and reconfigured over time by children and communities themselves. Built from a small kit of timber beams and planks connected with standardised mechanical fixings, the system supports a wide range of configurations, from climbing frames and platforms to more enclosed, quieter spaces. The material approach responds directly to context, using timber to remain workable in hot climates and to allow for local sourcing, repair, and adaptation across settings ranging from open desert camps to dense urban courtyards.

The structural approach prioritises simplicity, safety, and adaptability. Repetitive elements and standardised connections enable straightforward assembly and disassembly, supporting reuse and incremental expansion. Footing solutions are designed to work across different ground conditions, allowing the system to be securely installed in both soft and hard landscapes without permanent foundations. The system is robust enough to withstand repeated use while remaining lightweight and demountable.

The first structures went on display at the Museum of the Home in London to raise awareness of the initiative, before being relocated to Aysaita camp in Ethiopia, where they will be built and used by the communities they were designed with.

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