Text description provided by the architects
The Wind Whisper Playground sits within the Xinghai Shanhai Peninsula resort in Xunliaowan, Huidong, Guangdong, a winter refuge for migratory birds whose arrival marks the mild, livable climate of the peninsula. Designed around the migratory shrike, the site's IP character, the park turns the invisible wind into visible play. The first stop is the windmill tower, stacked from four wooden boxes that look as if they have tumbled from above; slatted sides read like migratory-bird feathers, while orange acrylic windows punctuate the volume, and the timber frame ties the tower to its natural setting. Children crawl from the first box through tubes into the second, choose a slide back or climb on to the increasingly demanding upper levels, and the victor who reaches the top rides the park's highest 7-metre slide down like a bird in flight. Hidden on the slope, three timber "joy boxes" seem to have tumbled from the tower, filled with crawl, climb, pass-through and net challenges. The second station is a faceted climbing mountain whose triangular faces offer routes via holds, ropes, crawl holes, ladders and slides. The shallow-water stream follows with washed-stone terraces where hand pumps send water down to the lowest pool, and parents on interactive bikes trigger lower jets. At the heart of a sandy, palm-shaded island rises the Hurricane Tower, its long spiral tail threading slopes, balance beams, climbing nets, crawl tubes and slides, with a bubble-blowing shrike on the roof. A zip line thrills both children and parents, and a wide wind-tunnel trampoline seats six to eight together. At night, a camping lawn with tents and open-air film screenings under the sea breeze closes the day. A full wayfinding system, from overview signs to safety notices and plant labels, integrates the shrike IP, and natural materials, natural colours and wilder planting protect the site's inherent nature. The playground was built through close factory-to-site coordination, including hand-painted murals, and is intended as a place where children feel the wind in trembling leaves and rippling water.