In 2005, West Lothian Council, undertook to refurbish the existing, dated play area in Balbardie Park of Peace. Balbardie Park of Peace (so named because of the war memorial within the park) had existing outdoor facilities within the park including a BMX Track, Skate Ramps, Youth Shelter, Basketball Net and football goal close to the local Sports Centre.
Jupiter Play were chosen to assist at the design stage and worked to produce a holistic design which complemented the other facilities within the park.
The brief for Jupiter Play was to incorporate an inclusive and stimulating area for all ages
into the existing Park of Peace concept. Consideration was to be given for encouraging children of all abilities and ages from toddler to teen – a real community play area as part of a larger community leisure ‘village’.
Consultation was carried out at concept stage with the nearby Primary School and West Lothian Youth Action Group.
The new play area aimed to:
A total budget of £85,000 was committed for the removal of the existing equipment and fencing and the design, supply, site preparation, survey work and surfacing of the new area. Contractors were then asked to tender for the final design which was completed in two stages.
The play area was designed to be an accessible, dynamic and stimulating experience with a diverse range of play activities to suit children from toddler to teenager. The layout of the area was based on a stylised Yin Yang symbol representing peace, harmony and inclusion to connect the play area with the main theme of the park as a whole – Balbardie Park of Peace.
An open layout was created with a flow between sand play, toddler & senior play areas, discretely partitioned by low level stockading. A variety of surfaces were used to add a further dimension to the play area – sand and different colours of loosefill mulch. The previously flat site was also mounded in areas to create focal points and add interest and challenge, creating ‘aspirational play’, from toddler to teen.
Equipment was chosen to meet the needs of a community with different levels of ability, without using items specifically designed for wheelchair users, for example, which can create a feeling of exclusion or of being different. A key element of the design was the use of dynamic equipment from Proludic which greatly extended the age range of those who would want to use the park to include adults!
The equipment mirrors the design of many extreme sports such as kite-surfing and are equally as challenging and
exhilirating.
Accessibility was an important consideration and new pathways were created to link the play area with the other facilities in the park using recycled material from road repairs carried out in the region. Within the play area itself, ramping to the entrances was included for wheelchair and pushchair use.
Children at the local school chose the name of the play area – ‘Yin Swing’ and signage was created to highlight other facilities within the park.
Equipment was chosen for both its play value and asthetic appeal. The key was to be able to provide a play experience for the whole community. Some items were chosen for their particularly challenging element (Proludic Dynamic Range) and others were chosen as ideal pieces of equipment for children with lesser mobility (Dish Roundabout, Springers and Sand-diggers).
The play surfaces used were chosen for their additional play value and to complement the natural surroundings of the park. Different coloured mulch made from recycled pallets was used to accentuate the areas and sand play was introduced particularly for younger children. Log stockaging was incorporated to soften the play space and create natural-looking low-level barriers between equipment for different age groups whilst keeping the area open.
The play surfaces used were chosen for their additional play value and to complement the natural surroundings of the park. Different coloured mulch made from recycled pallets was used to accentuate the areas and sand play was introduced particularly for younger children. Log stockaging was incorporated to soften the play space and create natural-looking low-level barriers between equipment for different age groups whilst keeping the area open.
Play Equipment £44,665.00
Construction/Landscaping £12,970.00
Landscape Furniture £1,300.00
Loosefill Surfacing £5,082.00
Sand Surfacing £2,943.00
Spread Surfacing £4,466.00
Stockading (different heights) £6,813.00
Installation of stockading £5,696.00
Delivery £1,093.00
Total Cost £85,028.00
Jenny Templeman,
Marketing Manager
jtempleman@jupiterplay.co.uk 0131 445 7989
