Playgrounds of London

My recent trip to London was great fun, with the added bonus of incredible weather: long days of sunshine and warm temperatures. Perfect for enjoying the many fine parks found there. Fortunately, my two young traveling companions, aged seven and eleven, shared my own personal interest in parks and especially playgrounds. We visited every playground we could find, and what we found was that London offers some great places to play. The large and well-known Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens lived up to it's reputation, with a sand beach and water play, huge pirate ship and a variety of nooks and crannies to explore. The playground is not only fun for the kids, it's also a pleasant place for parents, with places to relax in a garden-like setting.

The girls also had a great time at the Holland Park Adventure Playground, which has a wide variety of moving elements, including several different types of swings and spinners, and platforms suspended on cables that all bounce and jiggle when kids (and their parents) jump on them. It also has one of the long zip-lines that we found in many of London's parks. With so many interactive things to do, the girls couldn't help but make friends among the children of many nationalities who visit the park. It was interesting to see how the kids all quickly figured out how to cooperate to make things spin faster and go farther, even when they didn't speak the same language.

In Kew Gardens we found a number of fantastic interpretive playgrounds, including one inside a greenhouse (especially popular in the wet weather London is famous for, I'm sure) and several natural play areas built around  the concepts of photosynthesis, the food chain, and other natural processes. Lots of great ideas for combining play, learning, and nature can be found at Kew Gardens.

London's playgrounds were among the highlights of our trip, offering the girls a way to burn off some youthful energy, interact with people their own age, and maybe even learn a little about the environment while we  grownups enjoyed a shady spot to take a break from the rigors of sightseeing. They make a great city even better.
Rob Layton
July 16th, 2010

Discovery Playground

Discovery Playground, Design Concepts’ newest destination playground has just had its grand opening.  Located in Spokane Valley, Washington, it was designed to appeal to people of all ages and abilities.  The playground has multiple activities to engage the senses.  Colorful custom play and art pieces, a water spray area, climbing wall, musical elements, extensive plantings and landforms all provide fun for Eastern Washington residents.  

The Secret Garden with "Large Objects"

The Bear Cave and Sand Play

Construction is done - time to relax!

Q&A on Playgrounds

We're excited to be featured in the April issue of Colorado Parent. Carol and Shanen did a Q&A session on building better playgrounds, and how to incorporate activities for adults as well as kids. Parents are the ones bringing kids to playgrounds, why not give them something to do too? The online version can be found here.

Centennial Park

Colorado’s newest incorporated city is Centennial. Located in the southern portion of the Denver Metropolitan area, Centennial stretches from the Platte River Valley on the west to the eastern plains. Centennial is so new that it lacks much of the imagery and activities that most towns grow up with. One great start being planned by Centennial is the new Civic Center Park and Town Plaza. Located on the central spine road of Arapahoe Avenue and at almost the geographical center of the city, the Park will provide a highly visible place that defines the look of Centennial. The theme of “One hundred years of settlement, ten thousand years of habitation” talks about the history of habitation from the Clovis people, to the cattle people, to the jet set of today. The design and materials used in the park keeps this theme apparent throughout the space.  As well, this park includes a diversity of uses from an outdoor coffeehouse to climbing walls and multigenerational play.  In this town, having a place that is accessible and inviting to meet your friends and neighbors will be a great new asset. The park also includes a creek, a regional trailhead, diverse topography, a plaza for events, a large amphitheater, and a huge variety of play. The architecture includes a shelter overlook, a large venue group shelter, sledding, restrooms, climbing, and a looped linear arboretum. There is a lot of activity packed into this eleven acres!  That is exactly the point of a civic space.  This gives people a chance to rub shoulders with other people in a very active way, or to read on the side of the mesa that dominates the park.  A new generation of public spaces, well exemplified by this park, focuses on getting people outside, getting them together, and creating education and activity that is meaningful and healthy.  That is how the people of Centennial define themselves.

Please enjoy this video of a computer model we did for the park. 

-Axel Bishop

How Trees Are Made

A friend at Little Valley Wholesale Nursery sent this video and we found it fascinating. Trees are made by sticking a seed in the ground and five years later you have a tree, right? Not exactly.

The video is lengthy, but if you have time it's worth watching. Watch it here (click on the photo on OPB's page to start the video).

Bike Commuters on the Move!

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, interesting things are happening in the world of bicycle commuting. According to the article, the Census Bureau reports that in the 70 largest cities in America, the number of bicycle commuters increased 48% between the years 2000 and 2008. Bicycle commuters now account for 1% of all commuters. While 1% is not a staggering percentage, the rate of growth is significant. The Post article also states that in Washington, DC the number of commuters doubled during that same time frame.

The article also makes note of the fact that Google Maps has now started providing bicycling directions in addition to its driving directions. While the system apparently needs some refinement, Google has attempted to incorporate off-street bike trails, separate bike lanes, and designated bike routes into the directions, and avoid obstacles like hills, busy streets, and crowded intersections.

This is great news for all commuters, not just those on bikes, as the growth of the cycling infrastructure will ultimately lead to reduced traffic congestion and heathier communities. It's great to see that the trails and bikeways that we have been planning and designing for our clients across the country are really paying off!

Rob Layton

Communities at Play

Our American culture today does not incorporate play into everyday life. Possibly this is a cultural thing, but more likely it is a partial result of the way we build and live in our communities. Throughout history society has usually integrated some sort of play into the culture.  As a matter of fact, cultures that integrate more play into everyday life tend to live longer and healthier lives.  This is especially true of people who have frequent intergenerational contact and, more importantly, when that contact incorporates some form of release activity—like play.

Much in the same way that we have segregated the aspects of our lives through community zoning, we have segregated our generations, our friendship groups, and the activities that can bring us together.  One of the most important of these may be play.  Our planned and zoned physical isolation creates difficulty in finding places and partners for play.  Not only does this affect us physically, but it affects us emotionally and socially.  No other activity in our lives, with the possible exception of spiritualism, brings so much to our well being.  Play is usually low or no cost and is best when spontaneous.

Nationally, there is a trend towards finding ways to overcome the isolation created by our automotive-oriented, zoned communities.  People are now asking for lifestyles that allow for closer communities with more potential for contact among generations and friends or potential friends.  One thing that we have learned through urban and recreational design is to create spaces where a greater number of activities are possible and encouraged.  This is the first step in allowing people to do what brings them the greatest happiness: being with other people.  Contemporary studies show that the greatest satisfaction in life is found through contact with others.

One of the best ways that humans historically have found to gather is through play.  Since play is at best spontaneous, and often has no real purpose, it can blend the broadest range of people.  Any type of place will function as a play area, as long as something about the space creates a comfortable atmosphere.  It is also very easy and inexpensive to create a playful environment simply through thoughtful design.

America is rethinking its cities and neighborhoods in order to create a more cohesive, healthy and connected citizenry.  Many planners are rethinking recreation areas.  Now many of our parks, open spaces, drainages, land buffers, sports complexes and playgrounds can and are taking on a new look.  They too are no longer always isolated into separate categories.  These recreational lands are being designed and built to create all of these uses in proximity to each other and close to where we live and work. They are the community rather than an afterthought or addition.  The new millennium should find all of us with greater opportunity to see each other, to interact with each other, and to relieve the stress of our lives through play and interaction.

-Axel Bishop 

For further reading see:

“A History of Children’s Play and Play Environments” by Joe L. Frost.

“Play” by Stuart Brown, M.D.

“Waiting for the Weekend” by Witold Rybczynski