Wondertijd
A nature place for children to wonder, play, build and experiment freely
At the heart of the space is the Wonderkar — a mobile play cart filled with materials that can be taken outside, moved around and transformed into whatever children imagine. Rather than offering a finished play structure, the Wonderkar makes the possibilities of the space visible and accessible, giving children the freedom to choose, combine and create.
“We don't design the play but we design the conditions for play to happen”
With Plukgeluk vzw, Studio Ludiek designed Wondertijd, a playful outdoor environment on Linkeroever in Antwerp, nestled between the iconic Chicago blocks of the Europark neighbourhood. The project creates space for spontaneous, self-directed play within a dense urban environment: no fixed programme, no predetermined activities, but an environment that invites children to decide for themselves what play can become.
At Wondertijd, children are in charge. They can climb, roll, carry, build, balance, experiment, observe, imagine and explore. A collection of loose parts and open-ended materials creates countless possibilities without prescribing a single way to play.
Old pots and pans, blankets, ropes, stones, shells and bamboo tubes for building marble runs become the raw materials for children's own ideas. A blanket can become a shelter, a rope can transform into a climbing structure, and bamboo tubes can be combined into a marble run.
Children build camps, invent games, create imaginary worlds or simply investigate the nature around them. Some play together, while others find their own quiet way of exploring.
The materials and objects we introduced act as starting points rather than finished solutions. They can be moved, combined, transformed and reimagined. In this way, the environment remains open and unfinished, leaving room for children's own ideas and inventions.
Nature is an active part of the play environment. Rather than treating it as a backdrop, Wondertijd works with what is already there: plants, soil, stones, shells, sticks, weather, seasons and changing light. Children are encouraged not only to discover their surroundings, but also to care for them.
The design supports different forms of play and different ways of being: active and physical, quiet and concentrated, imaginative, constructive, individual or social. In doing so, Wondertijd creates opportunities for children to develop motor skills, creativity, confidence and social skills through their own experiences.
Wondertijd is a collaboration between Studio Ludiek and Plukgeluk vzw, made possible with support from the Burgerbegroting Antwerpen and with the trust and use of the space by Woonhaven.
Team
Emma Ribbens, Aude van Brandt, Juul Prinsen, Cami Laureyssens and Cille Majersdorf
Partner
Plukgeluk Vzw
Project subsidie
Burgerbegroting Antwerpen
Location
Linkeroever, Antwerpen, Belgium
Date
2026