LH to expand inclusive playgrounds in public housing complexes

Korea Land and Housing Corporation announced Tuesday it has selected a winning design in its inclusive playground design competition, aimed at creating play environments in public housing complexes where all children — regardless of disability — can play together.

LH has been working to improve play environments in public housing since establishing a "public housing play environment development plan" in 2024, followed by the development of an "inclusive playground design guideline" and a standard model last year.

In June, LH launched the inclusive playground design competition, targeting specialized playground equipment companies to produce designs applicable directly to public housing projects. The goal was to introduce inclusive playgrounds — spaces where anyone can participate in play without discrimination — into public housing.

The winning entry is "All-rounder Playground" by Spacetalk Co., themed around a "shining Milky Way" and combining creative spatial design with a variety of play activities. The design earned high marks for its use of vivid colors and curved forms to enhance the space's symbolic character and recognizability, as well as its wheelchair-accessible ramps, play areas at varying heights, and interconnected play equipment units.

LH plans to apply the winning design to the Siheung Hajung A-4BL complex, set to be commissioned in December, marking the first time an inclusive playground will be built in a public housing complex. The corporation also plans to expand the concept to other public housing complexes in 2027, continuing to spread play environments where all children can enjoy themselves together.

"This competition is a first step toward realizing a play environment where all children can grow up together," said Park Hyeon-geun, head of LH's public housing division. "We will continue to offer play environments that go beyond what existing housing complexes provide, and set a new standard for public housing that is better for raising children."

Meanwhile, LH has been moving to upgrade its public housing offerings more broadly. An apartment complex in Incheon Gyeyang — set to become the first move-in in a third-generation new town in December — has been given new brand names: "Luciant" and "Rip Fore."