Extract
[...] II. Eric McMillan (1942- ) In the context of this biographical notice, we wanted to focus on a profile that could be qualified as quite distant from global recognition. This fits into a desire to be interested in a more discreet but truly interesting profile. Indeed, the native of Sheffield in England, who was born during a German air raid in 19428, he truly launched his career at the end of the 1960s in Canada, particularly in Ottawa and Toronto. [...]
[...] According to the journalist from Libération, Matthieu Ecoiffier, the earthworks on the site in January 1995 were interrupted due to a landslide5. Finally, as we stated above, the park, in its current configuration, was only realized ten years later. The dispute with the residents mentioned above informs us about the sociology of the neighborhood and the inhabitants who usually frequent the park. In fact, the park is located in one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Paris, near the Eiffel Tower, on the other side of the Seine. This has a notable impact, and determines a priori socially this space. [...]
[...] Similarly, the necessary securing of these spaces became mandatory. This perspective is confirmed by the architectural critic Alexandra Lange. According to her, 'in the 1980s, there was a real turning point towards a culture of safety. We stumbled with a lot of innovation and a lot of risks and rewards for the environment of children11». After a series of lawsuits against playgrounds, accountability, and not creativity, has become the leitmotiv, in a way, in the design of playful spaces for children However, this evolution has not prevented this visionary from working around the world. [...]
[...] Indeed, Eric McMillan does not actually want to control children via an area. In designing the children's village, his philosophy was relatively simple: 'what would I want to do as a child?'"9 ». Thus, he is the origin of a playful activity that has become global today, the famous ball pit, which can now be found in a number of places such as shopping centers or fast-food restaurants. However, it must be admitted that the necessary evolution of children's amusement parks, which due to modernity and technological evolution have made McMillan's architectural inventions almost obsolete, has led to the closure of the children's village in 2002 and Ontario Place in 2011.10. [...]
[...] In other words, how is the park organized? With a total area of approximately 1.3 hectares, it has a certain slope, in that it 'embraces' the Passy hill up to the Seine, offering a unique panorama that the left bank and the Eiffel Tower. Offering visitors, wide flowered lawns and providing, it must be noted, a fountain with potable water"7, The green spaces perfectly complement the play areas, offering a certain counterpoint to other parks with a more classic and typical aspect of bourgeois neighborhoods like the Parc Monceau, for example. [...]
