CLIENT BRIEF -(Goals, Ambitions & Starting Point)
The quest to be extreme… a very special project pushing the boundaries of play!
Deputy Head Mike Phelps was starting to believe that his pupil’s dreams and desires to be extreme was a step to far for the play industry. The companies that he approached offered safe but boring, tried and tested solutions. Until he found Pendlewood! ...
When Mike approached us at Pendlewood, little did we know how far we would travel with this project; with Mike having a vague dream of taking his students to another level of extremity.
‘Extreme’ and 'integration' was the main goal that deputy head teacher, Mike Phelps, dreamt of, but because of health and safety legislations, he couldn’t imagine a solution. What could be done? The cotton wool had to be removed to a degree that allowed students to be explorers and go where their trusty steeds had never dared go before!
EXISTING FACILITIES
The area available to create Moorfield’s new ‘extreme’ play dream included various existing tired surfaces such as grass, playground tarmac, rumble tracks and worn paths. This provided an exciting opportunity to have a mix of challenging and varying play elements that utilise and enhance the space given. So we got to work….
DISCUSSION IDEAS- Achieving Their Everest
The special school Moorfield, Preston came together to develop their shared ideals for their special students. Teachers had their own pupils’ needs to consider, taking this project to new, uncharted lands.
A plan was agreed, that this ground breaking adventure play / discovery area was to be based around a Castle Theme which incorporated undulating draw bridges, a chained swinging rolling bridge, a twisting platform, basket ball area, sponge target area, traversing walls, hang tuff area, quiet area, chicane obstacle bridge and a rumble track with a water splash element. All at a steady height of 1.2 metres. EXTREME!!
PROTOTYPING & TESTING
The Design Visualisation Stage allowed us to play with new extreme ideas and once the final designs were approved, they were visualised in 3D CAD (See Below) to help devise and assess construction as part of a thorough design and risk assessment; the project then began in earnest.
A Life Size Prototype was created and our proposals were checked and fine tuned with the experience of our in house design teams, health and safety experts and project managers from Lancashire County Council. Together we worked hard to give the special students exactly what they desired.
As part of the design process, we recruited some great ‘test pilots’ (students from the schools) as seen below who dared to go where others just wheeled away; in anticipation to experience something different, something new and groundbreaking for DDA play to break the mould.
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RAMP CONTOUR SURFACE TESTING |
RAIL SUPPORT DESIGN AND TESTING |
During testing the test pilots were energised to experience: new floor textures and surface sensations, mammoth ramps with inclines that push the vertical limits to the extreme, resulting in immense feelings of empowerment, great satisfaction, stimulating thrills and most importantly elated smiles!
Without their brave endeavours and stalwart courage we could not have built this extreme adventure play area.
WHAT WE ACHIEVED
After intense construction, the ramps, bridges and towers started to take shape, the idea was becoming a reality. During our intensive testing period, our test pilots were heard to exclaim:
This was the goal the partners had worked so hard to achieve. The staff and student’s initial dream to be ‘extreme’ had come true.
Teamwork and daring to be different helped create this very special adventure play experience and break out the mould to dare to be different. From this approach the Moorfield project has made a big impact to Pendlewood and has inspired us go on to design and build many new special adventure areas that are all inclusive, yet full fun with the feel of ‘extreme’ in to every aspect of the play experience.
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SIR TOM FINNEY |
PUNCH BAG & HANGING FOR FUN |
PLAY CASTLE IMPACT-WOW!! |
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PLAY BRIDGE EXPLORE |
BIG BALL ROLL & GROUP FUN |
ALL INCLUSIVE FUN- FOR ALL |
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I AM NOW EXTREME! |
PEEK A BOO SOFT BAG |
EASY WHEELCHAIR ACCESS |
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GRIPPING TRAVERSING FUN |
BIG BALL ROLL & GROUP FUN |
ALL INCLUSIVE FUN- FOR ALL |
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