Günter Thüre

“The lack of imagination that was often evident in the living environments in the former GDR was both a chance and an opportunity for my colleagues and I to create play offers which would meet the creativity and curiosity of the children and young people." - Günter Thüre

“The material wood was ideal here and a stark contrast to the grey concrete of entire new development areas and their standardised metal constructions for seesawing, swinging and climbing”, adds Günter Thüre on his inspiration.

“In the 70s, the KindUmwelt work group of the artist’s association began to increasingly take over the leadership responsible for concepts and projects for playground offers in public spaces as well as the children’s wards of hospitals and institutions for people with disabilities. I was able to make contact with the Richter company as early as 1988 while attending an international specialist event; a fruitful cooperation based on the principles of mutual values developed from this meeting during the period following German reunification.”

Günter Thüre was born in 1941 in Halle an der Saale. After first qualifying as a wood model builder, he went on to study industrial design at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee (school of arts), graduating with a diploma in 1968. He worked as a research associate in the Amt für industrielle Formgestaltung (bureau of industrial design) from 1973 to 1977, and as the head of the working group “KindUmwelt” (child and environment) from 1983 to 1988. There he designed overall concepts for playground designs in Sonneberg, Magdeburg and Erfurt.

He has been designing furniture and home accessories as well as sculptural works and playgrounds for interior and exterior spaces on a freelance basis since 1977.

He has written a book on playground design, which was translated into several languages, as well as numerous treatises on the subject of accessible play and children’s aesthetics. Other work also includes the development and optimisation of playground equipment standards.

Thüre has also held teaching positions at various universities of applied sciences and designed interesting play areas throughout Europe. Some are also located in sensitive nature and conservation areas, characterised by high creative standards, many opportunities to play and great experience and learning effects.