Twenty five years ago, Gardiner Architects designed and helped build the Eltham North Playground in Melbourne, Australia.
But it burnt down in late 2017.
The Eltham North Playground had always been more than a mere playground.
It was a much-loved community meeting place, attracting all age groups from babies to young teenagers, encouraging families and social groups to get out-and-about, meet up, and connect.
Given it was an iconic local landmark, its reinstatement was supported.
And Gardiner Architects were engaged again.
This time, they established a collaboration with Jeavons Landscape Architects and playground builders Naturform.
Members of the community loved the original playground.
They wanted a new facility.
But they wanted it rebuilt where and exactly how it was.
So, given the headwinds, resistance, and skepticism they faced, Gardiner Architects initiated a community engagement process that identified specific elements of the previous playground the community couldn’t live without.
Turns out it wasn’t too onerous. They wanted swinging, climbing, and nature play.
So those elements were a given.
But the design had to be bigger than just that.
It also had to challenge children.
And enhance creative and cognitive play.
So elements that required children to negotiate three-dimensional space, find their way, and explore interactive elements were incorporated.
The redesign process required the playground to be built on a new and better position on site.
That move, whilst maintaining the essential attributes of the original design that the community said they loved, delivered a pleasing outcome.
With the new siting, play activities don’t stop at the playground’s roof edge.
Instead, children are encouraged to explore beyond the formal playground and into the surrounding bushland and creek.
The core idea was to provide a large covered playground that was SunSmart and usable in all weather.
That required an expansive roof, supported on a timber structure, so that play structures could be built under.
The outcome is rural in nature, somewhat like an old farm shearing shed.
It draws on memories of playing in old barns.
And invokes a sense of adventure – the smells, the challenge of getting up high, or finding a quiet corner to lay low.
The new design provides better access and inclusion for people of all abilities and delivers social, interactive, cognitive, and role play activities.
Parents and children now have easy access to key play elements like the tractor, ground level cubby, seating areas, and a liberty swing.
The new site position and reinterpretation of what made the playground special has been successful.
The client and community are happy.
This new, larger, and more complex playground now provides more play opportunity per square metre of coverage.
It also has a stronger relationship to the landscape surrounds.
It offers an exciting range of play elements integrated under a roof structure with a very high level of access, inclusion, and social interaction for people of all abilities too.
Bottom line?
The playground is once again, a much-loved community meeting place.
It’s a place that encourages the connection of families and community groups, while recognising the rights of people of all abilities to have access to public facilities.
The new design maximises passive solar design strategies, allowing the penetration of winter sun while maximising summer shading.
And there was an emphasis on sustainable and natural materials with the new playground substantially constructed from reclaimed, locally-sourced timber.
Along with the educational nature of experiencing the natural environment through the relationship of built shelter and changing seasons and climates, the water catchment from the roof becomes an educational element as the large gutter that runs the length of the roof connects to the water tank that is incorporated into the play facility.
Project Details
Completion date – 2018
Building levels – 1
Project Team
Architecture
Gardiner Architects
Gardiner Architects delivers architecture that is sound, healthy, durable, adaptable to change, and appropriate for its context.
Landscape Architecture
Jeavons Landscape Architects
Jeavons Landscape Architects design and advocate for sustainable and engaging educational and recreational landscapes for people of all ages and abilities. Their services include landscape/ play area master plans, feasibility studies, concept and design documentation, planting design and horticulture as well as project management and contract administration.
Construction
Naturform
Natureform provides a comprehensive range of urban infrastructure services that encapsulate landscape, building, and civil construction industries.
Photography
Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly is a commercial photographer specialising in architecture, interiors, and still life photography.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Gardiner Architects, Jeavons Landscape Architects, and Naturform. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Tess Kelly. All Rights Reserved.
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