05.12.2018 - Ausgabe: 6/2018

DIN 18034 "Playgrounds and Open Play Spaces" - What to expect from the newly revised DIN 18034

Lothar Köppel (Köppel Landscape Architects)

DIN 18034 9/2012 "Playgrounds and Open Play Spaces" is now being revised, mainly as a result of the regular review and revision process for standardisation.

That was not the only reason for the complete overhaul of the set of standards; other factors included the growing requirements related to inclusion and the associated accessibility of playgrounds and open play spaces.

There are plans to include the following additions, notes and revisions in the standard:

The introduction will explain the purpose of the standard. The standard is meant as an aid for the planning, construction and operation of playgrounds and open play spaces. It will include findings related to planning and learning through play. Accessibility as a prerequisite for inclusion is to be a fundamental element of all parts of this standard and forms the basis for the planning and creation of all playgrounds and open play spaces. In the future, this will also apply to communication spaces for games and sports, exercise spaces, and open spaces with a high play value, as required by the standard.

The introduction points out the legislation such as the Disability Equality Act (BGG) and the UN Convention on Human Rights, which form the legal basis for inclusion and accessibility in all public areas, including playgrounds and play areas. They should enable equal opportunities for all users.

Accessibility as a part of inclusion is the prerequisite to ensuring "all people" ‒ big and small, young and old, with and without disabilities ‒ use playgrounds and open play spaces largely independently, without assistance and according to their abilities.

Most disabled users often develop special skills that must be taken into account when planning play facilities.

Reference is made to the country-specific regulations, such as the respective state building regulations, which stipulate that public leisure facilities must be accessible and usable. Public playgrounds are public institutions and must therefore be made accessible in the future, according to the legislation. This also applies to the renovation of playgrounds and public play spaces. Existing facilities should continue to be subject to grandfathering.

 

• In the future, the requirement for inclusion and accessibility will also apply to sport and leisure in public, non-public and commercial areas.

 

DIN 18034 does not regulate specific safety requirements for facilities and play equipment. They are regulated in specific standards such as DIN EN 1176/1177 Playground Equipment and DIN 33942 Accessible Playground Equipment.

 

General safety requirements, for example playing with and on water or plants with toxic components, are considered in terms of how children learn to assess and manage risks.  

 

The Federal Building Code has transferred planning sovereignty to the towns, cities and municipalities. Therefore, they are responsible for the land use planning and the determination or use of space for playgrounds and open play spaces.

The standard makes statements on related property sizes as orientation values. These are important argumentation aids for the implementation of safety in playgrounds and play spaces for children and adolescents.

 

In its scope, the standard now includes requirements and guidance on accessible design, construction and operation. It also explains that additional or other requirements can apply to specific users (i.e. users with disabilities and/or special skills).

 

When it comes to planning, the standard makes clear that accessibility is the basis for all planning processes. Furthermore, playgrounds and open play spaces must be designed such that they have a high play value and level of inclusion. Accessibility should ensure accessibility and usability for all.

 

• DIN 18034-3 Accessible Construction "Public Transport and Spaces" addresses the barrier-free incorporation into the surrounding area.

 

In terms of reachability, the standard regulates that play facilities and open play spaces must be available where children live. Users must be able to access these independently and without barriers.

In this case, distance/walking times vary depending on age and capability: 200 metres, 400 metres and 1000 metres for children under 6, ages 6 - 12 and 12 and up, respectively.

Special obstacles such as railway tracks, motorways, expressways, industrial plants, bodies of water, etc. must be taken into account. Planning measures for children, including speed restrictions, traffic-calming measures, and barrier-free crossings, must be taken into account for playgrounds and open play spaces.

In order to promote the physical, mental and emotional development of children and adolescents from a holistic and precautionary health protection perspective, playgrounds and open play spaces must be available and designed in a manner that is accessible and offers variety. Large open spaces are a part of the diverse use and experience requirement.

In order to ensure variety, further planning aspects must be taken into account:

Appealing to the senses and encouraging movement. Including special exercise/movement options, particularly for adolescents. Possibility of independent interactivity and use. Use of natural resources and topographic conditions. Creation of terrain modelling. Spatial formation by dividing open play spaces. Creating options for retreat and rest. Promotion of shaded play and recreation areas. Creation of barrier-free options for use for all play equipment and facilities. Creation of accessible game progressions. Promotion of barrier-free play value. Application of the two-senses principle, such as primarily seeing, hearing and feeling, for all installations, equipment and all paved and unpaved surfaces. Consideration of user and gender-specific requirements or needs. Promotion and maintenance of social contacts.

Accessible planning and design ensures and encourages diversity.

DIN 18034 specifies the requirements that playgrounds and open play spaces must be accessible and usable. All unnecessary obstacles to barrier-free use must be avoided.

Playgrounds and play spaces are meant to enable playing and communication among children with different abilities and skills, for example through participation, diversity, connections between play spaces (complementary equipment in adjacent spaces), purposeful consideration of the skills and abilities of users, the targeted selection of play options and options that promote interaction.

Accessibility is the prerequisite for inclusion. Playgrounds and open play spaces must be accessible and usable for all people. This can be achieved, for example, through barrier-free connections, participation, diversity, the targeted consideration of skills and abilities, the targeted selection of equipment that enables interaction, etc. This creates integrative play, communication and interaction, i.e. inclusion in playgrounds and open play spaces.

With regard to barrier-free use, the standard assumes that all users with or without skills or with special abilities can use the playground or open play space without help. Refer to compliance with DIN 18040 Parts 1 & 3, Accessible Construction. Unrestricted, accessible use thus applies to all installations, paths, functional areas and equipment.

Currently, the installation and use of accessible playground equipment is governed by DIN 33942. This standard needs revision when it comes to inclusion, however, since all installations must be designed so as to be accessible, and regulations will not distinguish between accessible and inaccessible play equipment in the future. In order to take special abilities into account when playing, however, corresponding requirements related to inclusion must be formulated.

The area sizes must take into account the various needs of the play, actuation, movement and perception options, depending on reachability. The orientation of the area sizes, i.e. m² per inhabitant, is under discussion. Currently, the standard specifies the following minimum areas for playgrounds depending on age as orientation values:

up to 6 years > 500 m²

6 to 12 years > 5,000 m²

over 12 years > 10,000 m²

 

Requirements must take local conditions into account, however, including the type of development, population density, topography, vegetation, etc.

The age dependency must be discussed with regard to the inclusion in the revision of the standard, since age-specific restrictions or abilities are not taken into account.

The standard also stipulates requirements for special areas and equipment with an inclusive character. This applies in particular to shaded areas, sand-mud play areas, water games, ball play areas, movement and rolling surfaces, communication and nature-experience areas.

In the case of bodies of water, standards will take the obligatory supervision of infants into account in the future. Furthermore, shore areas intended for playing should be laid out in such a way that a safe entrance and exit is possible and the water depth slowly increases. Deviating from the maximum water depth of 40 cm, future standards may enable depths of up to 60 cm in exceptional cases, e.g. for the operation of play ferries and rafts.

The standard also provides relevant information for natural still or flowing waters, which have to be considered differently than artificial water features and facilities. Examples include cleaning, water exchange, hygiene, contamination, pollution, slipping hazards, maintenance, etc. Corresponding requirements are also listed in bathing water and drinking water regulations for certain equipment elements such as wells, water taps, etc. The standard recommends the assessment of the risk potential in cooperation with the relevant authorities or services, especially in public areas.

The standard honours areas for the promotion of nature experiences as particularly valuable for the playful experience of flora and fauna. They offer a variety of near-natural possibilities for creative play, which are usually not available in "conventionally" designed playgrounds. 

The requirements for landscape elements refer to the creative use of existing resources such as topography, surface profiling, landscape-typical elements, etc. As far as this is possible and ecologically sound, they should be integrated into play.

The usable natural soils also include sand, which should be qualified depending on the type of use, e.g. fall protection, play sand. The standard refers to reliable drainage for these play areas.

The safety and maintenance of playgrounds and outdoor play spaces "plays" a crucial role, in the truest sense of the word.

The planning, construction and operation of such facilities involves a high degree of responsibility for the well-being and healthy development of children and users, particularly when it comes to inclusion. All measures must take into account the safety and health of all users.

Children and adolescents, with and without disabilities, need the opportunity to playfully deal with risks and overcome their fears. Risks and dangers must therefore be present on playgrounds and outdoor play areas in a variety of ways: manageable, recognizable and assessable according to individual abilities.

Risks that do not contribute to the play value and course of play must be avoided or marked.

The requirements of DIN EN 1176 / 1177, including the relevant parts and the explanatory supplements, as well as DIN 33942 Accessible Playground Equipment (currently in revision) apply to the design, installation, set-up and maintenance of playgrounds and play equipment.

Regular inspections and checks (depending on the intensity of use) with appropriate documentation and the immediate correction of detected or existing (serious) deficiencies ensure safety in playgrounds and outdoor play spaces.

All equipment and facilities are subject to the general principles of road safety.

Information and requirements for enclosures and entrances are also shown in the standard. Enclosures must provide effective protection against danger spots such as traffic bodies, traffic areas, deep water channels, etc. There must be no danger from the enclosures, e.g. points, sharp edges, etc. Entrances must be barrier-free, or at least one of multiple entrances. Depending on the situation, these must provide a protective function in the event of e.g. infants unexpectedly leaving the area. Depending on the type of care and maintenance, these should also meet other requirements e.g. care access.

The chapter on plants with toxic components (poisonous plants) has been reformulated in the standard. The basis for this is that all plants have toxic effects when their parts, e.g. fruits or roots, are consumed to the corresponding extent. Also the maturity and the treatment e.g. of fruits plays a decisive role in the toxic effect. For example, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, etc. can cause toxic effects.

When it comes to playgrounds, kindergartens and open play spaces there is often hysteria regarding alleged "poison plants". Yet, trees and plants with toxic elements are often used on private property where children play, e.g. thujas, daphne, belladonna, etc.

Statistics show that there have been no fatal incidents of poisoning on children's playgrounds in recent years (nausea, vomiting and allergies excluded).

The revised version of the standard includes guidance to promote and preserve the diversity of plants and trees on playgrounds.

Excessive hysteria should be avoided, taking into account the healthy human assessment of the potential dangers.

It should be noted that the risks to children and adolescents on the way to the playground are much higher than the risk of dying from the consumption of poisonous plant parts and fruits. 

 

What is the plan?

In order to enable the assessment of accessible playgrounds, outdoor play areas, play equipment and game equipment, there are plans for a kind of matrix with corresponding explanations. The goal is to answer the common question "When is a playground / play equipment accessible?"

The format ‒ standard (DIN), pre-standard (DIN spec.) or technical report ‒ has not yet been determined.

It should serve as an aid to meet the legal requirements of inclusion and accessibility.

Following the publication of the revised version of DIN 18034, decision-makers and planners of playgrounds and open play spaces should take inclusion and accessibility into account in order to give all users the same opportunities for playing, staying and communicating.

In order to lend emphasis and effect to the planning regulations, it would also be necessary to explicitly anchor this in the corresponding state building regulations.

Photo: Lothar Köppel