When you think about innovation in architecture, your mind probably doesn’t go straight to monkey bars and corkscrew slides. However, playgrounds play a vital role in holding communities together, and smart designers are starting to give them notice. Recrafted with artistry and intentionality, a well-designed playground can help revive a struggling downtown. It can bring people of all ages together in one space, and breathe life into a neighborhood.
The best playgrounds aren’t just designed to be fun for children; they’re meant to be accessible and educational for all. Some teach important life skills like problem-solving and coordination, while others promote physical exercise for folks of all ages. The new playgrounds are accessible, inclusive, and often designed with an emphasis on sustainable development. Below are some of the most creative and compelling playground design examples from around the world.
Accessible and Universal Design
Playground designers are giving more consideration to children and adults with all sorts of needs. They’re creating playgrounds that accommodate people with limited mobility, with sloping paths instead of stairs and climbing structures. They’re also considering the sensory needs of blind and low-vision children and children with autism. They’re incorporating softer textures, quieter spaces, and other safety features to accommodate different sensitivities.
At Martin’s Park, in Boston, there are multiple different ways to get to the top of various play structures. Some children can climb or scramble, while others can use gentler sloped paths to make their way up. All playground features are designed with differing physical, communication, social/emotional, cognitive, and sensory differences in mind. The park is largely wheelchair accessible and includes a shaded area with a mist spray for users to cool off.
However, a playground doesn’t need to be completely redesigned and reconstructed in order to accommodate users with disabilities. There are faster and more affordable ways for planners to incorporate accessibility into their existing playground designs. On a smaller budget and timeline, decision-makers can still take inspiration from these designs. For example, they can add a commercial swing set designed for wheelchair users, and install ramps on existing jungle gyms.
Sustainable Design
Eco-friendliness is top of mind for most designers today, across virtually all industries. Most planners recognize the need to reduce the impact of climate change, across all facets of public design. Many playground designers, accordingly, have been working to make their designs more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint. They’re reducing their dependence on plastics and metals, using sustainable materials, and taking advantage of natural features like trees.
The Lilac Adventure Zone, in Rochester, NY’s Highland Park, provides a wonderful example of the use of natural materials. Designers used salvaged timber, boulders, and other materials from the county parks system to create free-form play structures. In other words, the play structures are literally made by reusing fallen trees from Highland and other nearby parks. The parking lot and pavilion roofs are also designed with special features to collect and utilize rainwater.
Again, you don’t have to redesign a whole park to make it more sustainable and reduce its carbon footprint. Instead, planners can start by adding natural materials, like logs, boulders, wood chips, and sand. Or, they can use recycled materials, like post-consumer plastic from milk jugs, plastic bags, and other common household items. These raw materials are turned into climbing panels, posts, cables, and more, which are available for purchase online.
Adult-Friendly Design
Some of the very best playgrounds are designed with the happiness of not just children, but adults, in mind. They serve as town squares and community gathering spaces, where parents get together with friends to sit and talk while kids play. At many European bars, such as in the Netherlands and Spain, playgrounds feature bars or cafes close enough to watch the kids. In Berlin, playgrounds include comfy, shady benches for adults, and parents bring their own beer.
In Copenhagen, a play structure called the White Tube is made with fiber optic lights that attract both children and adults. In Cuenca, Ecuador’s Madre Park, playground structures intermingle with sculptures and outdoor fitness equipment, attracting whole families with a range of interests and ages. At Governer’s Island, in New York, there are family-size slides built for adults and children to ride down together, at the same time.
Some highbrow designers, as in London, New York, and Boston, have come up with Adults-only playground installations. These incorporate design features like light-up swings and adult-size spinning carousels in chic day glo colors. However, the very best playgrounds are designed to include all kinds of community members, of all ages. Designers should take inspiration from these temporary “adult playground” exhibits and use them to create permanent spaces for all.
Save the Playground
As designers work to create new, inviting spaces, they must keep up with the trend of disappearing playgrounds. The continuing privatization of public shared spaces threatens to break up communities and push children indoors. That’s why it remains especially important to design playgrounds with accessibility in mind. With fewer third spaces available, it’s essential that existing ones are comfortable, inviting, and inclusive for all.
That means not just considering disability, but also other factors that can limit public access to playgrounds. For example, design features need to be able to accommodate people of all sizes, including parents with larger bodies. They also need to be within walkable distance, or easily accessible by public transportation. Poor city planning should not limit carless families from accessing otherwise beautifully designed public spaces.
