A water feature suitable for all weather conditions

© Birthe Mallach-Mlynczak, Spiel- und Lerndesignerin / ESF Emsland Spiel- und Freizeitgeräte GmbH & Co. KG

Streaming, dripping, spraying, raining, splashing, guttering, streaming, foaming, resting, splashing - there is hardly any other element that stimulates playing and observing in as many different ways as water. It is therefore a fundamental element for meaningful play, which becomes so attractive for play precisely because of the wide range of possible uses. Thus, similar to playing with sand or building blocks, children are encouraged to play in a very unrestricted way, since there is not just one "right" way to play with water. Water is also of educational value in a narrower sense, as it grabs children by their natural curiosity by stimulating a variety of playful experiments and encouraging them to try things out. Water is also inclusive because it fascinates, magnetises and entices children - regardless of their physical condition, age, language, gender, culture or other special characteristics - to play with water and explore its structure and properties.   

 Unfortunately, play facilities which allow such water experiences are often only available in the warm season of the year. It is exactly this discrepancy which the Bubenheimer Spieleland leisure park took up to look for a water play area that can be used all year round and that provides the children with a wide variety of opportunities to get involved in the play. Thus, in the midst of a large and spacious picnic meadow, a large new play area was created in 2021.

The rural and family-run leisure park is centrally located between the cities of Cologne, Bonn and Aachen. The important focus of the park is on inviting people to play regardless of weather conditions, and not only in the indoor play hall, which is also available at this location. Another important aspect for the playground was that the element of water should be playable as such, i.e. without sand, in order to prevent splashing around with water and sand, which should not be the main focus at this place.

Water: playable

Water, however, can also be played with in many different ways without sand. It is not only possible to splash around in it, but also to drive on it, manipulate it, deliberately splash it, slide with it, observe it, hear it, avoid it and much more. All of this is both an attempt to realise this new facility and to make it an intuitive experience for a target group that is as heterogeneous as possible. A total area of 2,240 m² was available for the project. 

The basic idea behind the design of a water play area that can be used all year round is that it should also encourage people to get together and play when there is no or less water in play. The company KinderlandParks, together with its designer Gert Eussen, has more than just met this challenge. Depending on the weather, each individual water element can be switched on or off. In colder weather, only some of the water play elements are switched on, and in good weather, all of them. A technical house located at the side of the area is available for this purpose. The roof of this little house also offers a place to stay and an overview of the players.

Overall design: three play areas

The overall design consists of three play areas: the 14-metre-high water play area, a 540 m² ferry and raft pool and an interactive ground water play area. Made of solid steel, galvanised and coated to a high standard with load-bearing parts made of stainless steel, the tall water feature towers over the area. It forms the centre of the entire playground, encourages visitors to climb up and look down and up, and is visible from far away.

The play towers can be climbed via different routes, on the one hand via different levels that challenge the player with their variety of shapes and materials, and on the other hand via a large net access. The materials used here are steel, net, rope, wood and rubber. Here, different tactile and sensory experiences can easily be made along the way.  The element of water is also taken up in thematic terms through the wave-like design of the individual elements.

All paths to the top are without water and thus dry to climb, but jets were integrated nearly everywhere, so that a new, wet play experience is possible in good weather.  A variety of water jets are incorporated into the ramps - from a large jet of water to a fine splash of water.  Even a rain shower effect is possible.  Spray nozzles have also been incorporated into the metal rings that hold the climbing nets. An obvious highlight here are two very large water buckets that are mounted above the two roofs of the play towers. They can be used to create waterfalls that can be observed and played with from all sides.

Another special feature is that the nozzles and the water buckets do not automatically spray and fill with water, but have to be actively filled by visitors on the ground: A wide variety of pumps are installed around the facility, which activate the respective features within the facility. The pumps are barrier-free and operated by pushing, pulling, turning, pumping or pushing. Motorically, everyone has the opportunity to actively influence what happens inside the facility. Here, players who do not want to or cannot climb all the way to the top can also take part in the game. Not least this aspect makes the facility predestined for inclusive cooperative games. Those who make it to the top can expect an eight-metre-high tunnel slide. The second slide within the play area is another highlight in this all-year-round concept. In very good weather, water can be added here and suddenly the visitors will get a water slide.

The two water buckets not only allow the visitor to experience the element as splashing water or directly as a shower, but combined with a transparent plastic disc that can be placed underneath, onto which the water pours first, the power of a lot of water can also be experienced while staying completely dry. Here, all the senses are addressed. Water in such quantity is quite loud and powerful when you are standing directly under it.

The colour concept of the large play structure enables visitors to follow the main pipes on which the water can be manipulated. For example, the steel posts that also function as water pipes are colour-contrasting. On the ground, however, it is not only jets within the large play area that can be activated.  A 19m-long wooden wall stimulates a variety of other activities to bring even more water into play - but this time on the ground. Water fountains and spraying rocks in the ground can be switched on, as well as large vertical, wave-shaped spray pipes. Here, simple pictograms indicate which play object is currently activated by turning, pushing or pulling. This ground-level water play is a good way for both small children and people with disabilities to experience the element of water in its pure form. Originally, the plans here were to integrate canals and weirs into the game.

But through the intentional avoidance of stumbling traps in the ground-level design, the facility also enables a large number of players to play. The ground water play area with its diverse fountains is thus also a popular place to go for larger groups and thus for various cooperative games.

The entire facility has been designed so that at least two senses are always addressed, making inclusive play possible at all times. Especially in the large facility, but also on the wooden wall to operate the floor game, there are coloured plastic discs all over the place. The views from different heights do not just offer a change of perspective on what is happening in the game, but also make the world appear in a new colourful light. Behind the long coloured wooden wall there is the third part of the play area. A 540 m² rectangular water basin offers three different play options and many more variations. In the front part of the pool there are two ferries that can cover exactly the same distance. The potential competitive situation also invites groups to play against each other. But, of course, it is also possible to just "sail over" comfortably.

Less strenuous, but still challenging, is the wobbly footbridge. Here, different wooden pontoons are connected to each other. The surfaces are all differently shaped so that particularly the sense of balance is trained - a barefoot path over the water. In addition, the pontoons are fastened in different ways, so that the path is sometimes more, sometimes less wobbly. The focus here is entirely on testing out one’s balance.

Right next to it, the rest of the water basin is available for wooden rafts that can be moved across the surface. How many children can sit on a raft? How much wobbling is allowed before you get wet? Can we capsize the raft of the other players? These and other exploratory questions can be answered here, not least in the context of role-playing games.  In this area, free play on the water surface knows hardly any limits.  Ship ahoy!

Conclusion

In summary, this facility in the Bubenheimer Spieleland is a good example of a water playground that can attract visitors in many ways and all year round. Each individual element can certainly serve as a source of inspiration for future-oriented planning on the part of local authorities.