PLAY+SOFT is a research project on
new soft furnishings for young children, resulting
in a line of around 200 products. The laboratory process involved the
collaboration of twenty-eight international designers, teachers, and pedagogistas:
the dialogue between
pedagogy and design and the theoretical reflections that were developed.
The PLAY+SOFT furnishings comprise a wide
range of product types including soft three-dimensional “landscapes”,
micro-places, transformable seating, play structures, mats, modular forms,
burrows and shelters. They are made of eco-friendly
materials, fire-resistant but soft to the touch, in a broad range of colors
and textures. They are designed for use in any place
inhabited by children, not only infant-toddler centers and preschools
but also shopping centers, restaurants, airports, waiting areas, and other
public places.
The PLAY+SOFT project is part of the ongoing
research carried out in the Municipal Infant-toddler
Centers and Preschools of Reggio Emilia, in particular as regards designing
the environments in which children live. This line of research includes
the metaproject “Children, Spaces, Relations”
(Domus Academy, Reggio Children 1998), a text of reference at the international
level that has been translated into English, Chinese, and Korean. The
PLAY+SOFT project once again involves the
encounter between design and the pedagogical experience developed in the
schools for young children of Reggio Emilia, considered a reference of
excellence at the international level. In continuity with the metaproject,
PLAY+SOFT aims to make the environment in
which children live the adventure of their growth and the formation of
personal identity a place that is complex and stimulating, introducing
new sensory qualities into the landscape of
the early childhood environment: softness (tactile and visual); pliability;
a variety of consistencies and textures; finishes that are smooth, “rough”,
or elastic; and a chromatic landscape that is richer than the simplified
red-yellow-blue.
The soft things of PLAY+SOFT are designed
to help create environments for children that are multi-sensory,
enjoyable, and beautiful.
