A new play centre and adventure play park. 

The centre provides internal as well as covered external play space. It is also a short breaks centre for special educational needs children facilitating overnight stays.

The site is the remainder of a Victorian Arboretum in an existing park. The overarching theme is playing in and around trees.

The timber frame building is a continuation of the tree story. The main internal play space is an abstracted ‘tree room’ dominated by a large tree column from which the primary structure branches off. The column is oversized for the children to carve into. Natural light filters between the beams to create an atmosphere of being under a tree canopy.

The building is a continuation of and addition to the landscape - in its materiality, spaces, views and function. Its undulating biodiversity roof is a natural extension of the landscape, which dominates the scheme. It responds and caresses the adjacent trees, dips under them, feeds them its water.

Large roof overhangs frame the landscape whilst protecting outdoor play. 

The playpark consists of new topographies, landscapes and site-specific climbing structures.  Different scales, speeds, uses, types of inhabitation and play as well as materialities and moods are carefully arranged. Children can experience different seasons or even just hours of the day. 

Model of play structure

The dense adventure structure plays with the characters of the trees materials. A series of recycled doors quotes domesticity but also allows for routes through to perpetually change and spaces to expand and contract. Different degrees of secrecy oppose vantage points into the park. These spaces of different qualities create a rich experience and invite the imagination.

What is adventure?

Adventure playgrounds are very specific playgrounds. The idea was born in post war rubble and junkyards, where children could run around, climb, make and discover. Modern day adventure playgrounds are environments conceived to enable children to make things and play freely and creatively without much prescriptive input. The children are encouraged to explore and take controlled risks. Adventure playgrounds change through the children’s input. 

Together with Parkour Generations and the Building Exploratory we undertook a comprehensive community engagement programme before, during and after construction to explore the play, adventure and self-building. The purpose was to equip the children with skills to evolve the adventure playground after we, the designers, have left.

Building structures that stand up.

Building with natural materials and just getting dirty.

Tug of War to erect posts for climbing structure.

Manifesto for Adventure