the gardenmakers -  Gold Award

Commercial - Educational/Institutional/Play Space Design

Design Brief:

The brief was to design a high-quality natural playground for a new sixty place Early Learning Centre at Cheltenham. The site was an unused heritage listed church that had been purchased for renovation and conversion, including the provision of the new playground environment.

The play space had to provide a safe, fun and educational experience for the children as well as being tranquil and aesthetically pleasing. The centre owner was keen to incorporate plenty of messy and risky play elements to challenge the children.

The playground was to be divided into two playgrounds catering for the 0-2 and 3-5 yr age groups. The subdivisions were to be created without permanent fences or gates.

Judges’ Comments:

This play space fulfils the brief providing a safe, fun and educational experience for children with many innovative challenges that have taken advantage of the sloping ground on the site.

The project is aesthetically pleasing as well as providing a creative outdoor space for staff and children to enjoy. The use of onsite reclaimed timber, various textured surfaces and a simple yet effective plant palette adds to the integrity of the churchyard playground.

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