Meet Markus – Play Designer

From Glow-In-The-Dark Stars to Public Places, with Markus Ehring

In this episode, we were joined by Markus Ehring, a German designer, engineer and inventor of glow-in-the-dark stars, who also acts as Creative Director for Waterplay. He designs equipment for playgrounds and public spaces for communities around the globe.

In our discussion, Markus noted that, like our society and mentality, public spaces are often divided into different needs. Approaching the design of these spaces with empathy and emphasizing an element of human connection is a great way to start looking at how public spaces can operate within our societies. They need to be integrated, create spaces that act as meeting spaces and be fun! It’s important to consider people of all abilities and give them the opportunity to come together and enjoy being in a space. He also pointed out that it’s important for kids to be bored. Boredom can help encourage children to look inwards and find something within themselves, along with fostering creativity. In this new generation, giving kids space to discover, be creative, and play in-person is crucial, and helps them build necessary life skills that will help them in every aspect of life.

Markus emphasizes the importance of making playgrounds all-encompassing and accessible. His daughter was in an accident when she was younger that resulted in the inability to move her legs well, and it was during this time that he noticed the lack of accessibility at the playgrounds they would visit. Circling back to the theme of empathy, this helped Markus realize just how important it is to create things with accessibility in mind. When you create a space that relies on communication, it allows social skillsets to expand and grow.

This idea translates to water environments as well, such as splash pads. They often provide more inclusive environments that will appeal to people of all backgrounds, cultures, and abilities. While swimming pools are popular, they’re often less accessible to those who may have fears surrounding water and swimming, and those with mobility limitations. It’s respectful to provide spaces where we get together, foster creativity, and be inclusive of everyone. This allows children to be exposed to water and spray features from an early age, which can help alleviate fears and apprehensions towards water and aquatic facilities.

When asked about how Markus works to bring communities and cultures together in a successful way, he recalled the story of how he created glow-in-the-dark stars to help kids who were scared of the dark. He wanted to create something universal that could help them get over their fears and was also accessible to everyone.

When looking at the emphasis for more outdoor play, Markus recognizes that outdoor spaces are important. We need spaces that will bring people together, and right now many outdoor spaces don’t do that well, or aren’t designed for it. He strongly believes that the days of casting everything in concrete are changing to emphasize the importance of bringing natural elements and green back into public spaces.

The idea of integrating technology into public spaces was also brought up, and Markus emphasized the need for interfaces to be respectful. The design language that is used needs to be intuitive to everyone. He also emphasized the fact that great design comes from people who love what they’re doing and can create the things they do out of love. Approaching design with a level of enthusiasm and humor helps us to grow.