100architects is an architecture and design studio founded in Shanghai in 2013 that turns plazas, rooftops, waterfronts and shopping streets into colourful playscapes. The studio's own description is simple: it designs toys for cities. Its projects combine climbing structures, slides, swings, seating and lighting into one bright, graphic landscape that draws people to a place and keeps them there. This article looks at six of its built projects and at what goes into making play structures of this scale.
This is an independent appreciation. Elite Fixtures did not design, fabricate or install any of the projects described here. They are by 100architects. Photographs and drawings of the projects are © 100architects and the credited photographers, and are used with the studio's permission; the diagrams marked "Illustration: Elite Fixtures" are our own.
At a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Studio | 100architects |
| Founded | 2013, Shanghai, by Marcial Jesús |
| Leadership | Marcial Jesús, with Javier González and Abdullatif Alsayegh |
| Offices | Shanghai, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh |
| Part of | Alsayegh Group of Companies |
| Approach | "We design toys for cities": public spaces the studio describes as urban attractors |
The idea: public space as a toy
The studio's manifesto argues that public space should be fun, and that play is for everyone, not only children. Its projects work as catalysts: bright, easy-to-read landmarks that bring people to a plaza or a mall rooftop and create reasons for them to stay, meet and come back. The graphics are bold enough to read from far away and in photos, which matters for places that compete for attention.
That is why many of its clients are developers and mall operators. A playscape can turn an empty plaza or an unused rooftop into the busiest part of a project.
Six built projects
Wired Scape, Guangzhou
A 1,550 m² playscape in a residential district, built around four climbable "trees" made of spiralling steel pipes, joined by hanging bridges, with lighting built into the curved lines. Designboom described the structure as steel piping over resilient surfacing. It is the studio's most metal-heavy project and was covered in 2025. The pipe trees are the landmark, but the ground plane does as much work: a graphic blue and green field that turns the whole courtyard into a play surface.
More on this project: Project page · designboom · Colossal
Magma Flow, Ningbo
A 1,350 m² volcano-themed plaza on a pedestrian street, built in 2022 for Vanke's Ningbo division. A plain set of stairs up to the second floor became a flow of red and orange "lava" with slides, an amphitheatre, seating and play areas running down it.
More on this project: Project page · gooood
I Love Changsha, Changsha
Giant "I ♡ CHANGSHA" letters on the Xiang River waterfront that double as play furniture and a swing, completed in 2022 for COFCO Joy City and Beijing North Star. gooood
Rubix Square, Fuzhou
A 1,400 m² plaza centred on a three-storey walk-in play structure shaped like a puzzle cube, with four sport-themed pieces around it (Hashtag, Basket Triangle, Wall Ball and Heli-Skate) and lighting inside for night use. It was covered in 2025.
More on this project: Project page · designboom
Over the Rainbow, Changsha
A mall rooftop at Changsha Beichen Delta Joy City, completed in 2021 for COFCO Joy City and Beijing North Star. The design follows the arched shape of the roof: rainbow stripes start as flat floor graphics and then rise into three-dimensional furniture, an amphitheatre, small pavilions and a 12 m spiral slide.
More on this project: Project page · designboom
Octopus Kingdom, Shenzhen
A 750 m² rooftop playscape on the Gateway One mall in Nanshan, with a 7 m octopus head, eight tentacle play courses and nine "sand castles", for Shenzhen Merchants Real Estate.
More on this project: Project page
How colourful playscapes are built
The studio does not publish detailed fabrication information for most projects, so the points below are general to play structures of this kind, not a description of any one project. We build playable and sculptural metal work, and these are the questions we see most.
Bent steel does the heavy lifting
Curving climbing frames like the trees of Wired Scape are usually built from steel pipe, bent on rolling or mandrel machines and welded into a frame. Every weld a child can touch is ground smooth, and pipe ends are closed so water and fingers stay out.
Everything is sized for crowds
A popular playscape on a busy weekend carries far more people than a backyard play set. Nodes, brackets, bridges and slides are designed for crowd loads, and the structure is checked by an engineer as a whole, not piece by piece.
Colour has to last
Bright colour in full sun fades fast unless the coating system is right. Steel is blast-cleaned, then finished with powder coat or a multi-coat paint system rated for UV exposure. Poured rubber (EPDM) surfacing is usually coloured to match the design and sized to the fall height of each piece.
Rooftops add their own rules
On a mall rooftop, the structure has to spread its weight onto the building below, avoid waterproofing, and resist wind. Anchoring and weight limits often shape the design as much as the play ideas do.
Safety is designed in
Play structures in public spaces are normally checked against the local playground safety standard, which sets rules for fall heights, surfacing, gaps, edges and entrapment. It is far easier to meet those rules in the drawings than to fix them after fabrication.
If you are a developer or city planning a playscape
- Start with the site's purpose. Decide whether the playscape should draw crowds, calm a space, or both, and size it for the visitors you expect.
- Bring engineering in early. Crowd loads, rooftop loads and wind all affect the form.
- Specify the finish for the climate. UV exposure, salt and freeze-thaw each call for different coatings.
- Plan for maintenance. Nets, surfacing and paint need regular inspection and touch-up.
Elite Fixtures fabricates playable and sculptural steel structures from designs supplied by architects and design studios. For more playable public art, see our articles on The Urban Conga's playable art in Sarasota and Woven Playground in Shanghai.
FAQ
What is 100architects?
100architects is an architecture and design studio founded in Shanghai in 2013 by Marcial Jesús, now led with Javier González and Abdullatif Alsayegh and part of the Alsayegh Group. It designs colourful playscapes and urban installations for plazas, rooftops and waterfronts, and has offices in Shanghai, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.
What does "toys for cities" mean?
"Toys for cities" is how 100architects describes its work: public spaces designed like large toys that invite people of all ages to play, sit, climb and meet. The studio sees these projects as urban attractors that bring life and visitors to plazas, shopping streets and rooftops.
What are 100architects' best-known projects?
Well-known 100architects projects include Wired Scape in Guangzhou, a playscape of spiralling steel-pipe trees; Magma Flow in Ningbo; Rubix Square in Fuzhou; Over the Rainbow on a Changsha mall rooftop, with a 12 m spiral slide; Octopus Kingdom in Shenzhen; and the I Love Changsha letters on the Xiang River.
What are urban playscapes made of?
Urban playscapes are usually built from steel pipe and plate for the structure, finished with powder coat or UV-rated paint, with nets, slides and handholds attached, and poured rubber (EPDM) safety surfacing below. Concrete footings anchor the structure. The exact materials depend on the design, the climate and local playground safety standards.
Sources
- About 100architects
- 100architects manifesto
- 100architects on designboom
- Project pages and press coverage linked in each project section above
About this article
Elite Fixtures was not involved in creating any of the projects described here. We wrote this piece as an appreciation of 100architects' work and an explainer on how playscapes are built. Photographs and drawings of the projects are © 100architects and the credited photographers (including Rex Zou) and are used with 100architects' permission; please do not reuse them without asking the studio. The diagrams marked "Illustration: Elite Fixtures" are our own and do not depict any of the projects.
Interested in working with 100architects? Contact the studio through 100architects.com. Elite Fixtures is a fabrication partner: we build work that architects and designers have already designed, and we don't create original designs or make reproductions of existing ones. If you have your own concept for a playscape or playable structure, talk to our team about fabrication.
