Applicants, planners and responsible parties are faced with a number of questions when it comes to the construction of a new playground: Who will be using the playground in the future? How do you meet the different requirements of children and teenagers? Do the facilities catch the spirit of the times and does this also prevent vandalism? While a location study answers important questions, the integration of future users and residents is almost indispensible in the planning phase. How valuable and productive the teamwork can be was experienced recently by Landscape Architect Florian Ehrler, Galabau employee Andreas Dietrich and play equipment manufacturer Veit Grasreiner from Dresden.
“Originality and maximum play value determine the quality standards of a playground,” states Andreas Dietrich, Managing Director of grünerleben in Dresden. “But what use is this if younger and older users cannot find or live out their interests in this new place,” states the 39-year-old. Dietrich has re-built, repaired, reconstructed or maintained more than 140 playgrounds with his employees. With the construction of the playground “Emergency call. Headquarters 112” (in German: “Notruf. Zentrale 112”) in the Friedrichstadt area of Dresden, Galabau employee Dietrich and play equipment manufacturer Grasreiner - who have already realised several joint projects - are working together with the open land designer Florian Ehrler for the first time.
In Ehrler’s opinion, it is wrong to believe that children and teenagers are fond of always just getting things offered to them. “Even adults want to be taken seriously and feel appreciated, if they are being allowed to assist in the decision-making processes,” states the landscape architect.
In coordination with the builder, to begin with, the 30-year-old organised an on-site workshop for residents and, in particular, children and teenagers, to which the representative of non-profit children and youth welfare facilities as well as 20 children and teenagers from the urban area were invited. They were all asked about their ideas and wishes for a new playground. “There were actually flowers which were named by the children,” states Ehrler smirking. “It was only afterwards that they listed the basketball net, chute, spray pump and ‘lover’s lane ’.”
From all the accumulated ideas, Ehrler compiled three preliminary drafts with quite a different regional reference: The decision of citizens came down to the topic of “fire – water – storm”, which forms the basis for a competition among seven wooden play equipment manufacturers. From those concepts submitted, the winner was selected from play equipment manufacturers in a further two-stage competition process. The jury - consisting of children, social workers and city leaders - decided on the play equipment of the Dresden degree-qualified designer Veit Grasreiner of Grasreiner Design under the motto “Emergency call. Headquarters 112”. Grasreiner’s pictorial draft was presented publicly and was enthusiastically received by all participants.
Rescue coordination centre as basis of topic
With the Friedrichstadt hospital, the urban district has been shaped by a modern clinic with a historic past. In direct proximity to the designed area, there is a newly built emergency station where, on the east side, on an area of 1100 m², a children’s and youth playground for the age group eight to 16 year olds is to be developed.
In line with the winning motto, Florian Ehrler designed a two-tier play landscape which is oriented on the adult world of the neighbouring plot. The front area, with its multifunctional concrete surface, can be used for older teenagers for ball and street games as well as a painting ground. The wall seats with edge trim made from a steel plate can be used for skating. A refuge in pergola optics, concealed from view and yet still exposed, sets the scene for the desired leisure room.
The gentle transition between the formal entrance area and emotional interior works well because of a plant area which was created in the shadows of an old ash tree being the only tree.
The climbing labyrinth made from ladders, the fire lookout, car wreck and tube slide tends to attract the younger children in the rear area of the playground. “With the optical and functional arrangement of our play equipment, we always had the topic basis in sight,” comments Grasreiner. “So, in the centre of the playground, we developed and realised a four-metre-high escape tower with a surface area of 2.50 x 2.50 metres, whose simple square-shaped basic shape is broken up with the slanting arrangement of the inner four sections for play purposes.” On the outside, corresponding slanting red border frames with different lettering, in line with the inclinations of the play sections, were presented in front of the tower body. With the rising net, tube chute, climbing poles, different ropeways and entrances, Grasreiner’s team built varied play equipment which offers children stimuli and challenges, giving them the urge to do exercise.
Planning and implementation coordinated
Dietrich realised a total of 30 playgrounds for private and public customers, based on different design plans. “Florian Ehrler is fortunate to have had much practical training and has a good grasp of planning ideas and practical implementation. Not all planners find it this straightforward.” Over and over again, design elements are planned which cannot practically be realised with the stated materials. Dietrich advises: “Prior to the start of construction, it is imperative that the plans are studied properly and any ambiguous points are clarified early on.” Keeping a builder’s diary is essential and it should be signed at least once a week by the planner.
A private person is responsible for what happens on his or her playground, and in a public area this responsibility rests with the local authority. Therefore, particularly stringent regulations prevail and the strict compliance with standards is imperative. However, Dietrich criticises the fact that there are no clear written rules for the playground construction and it is always a matter of interpretation how individual playground elements are to be observed and which standard parts they have to correspond to.
There has always been a direct exchange between Grasreiner, Ehrler and Dietrich. So the appendices of “costs time, causes additional work and often requires the time-consuming authorisation of the builder,” could largely be forgone. “Appendices are mostly connected to many arguments, have effects on the whole calculation and attract a delayed construction process,” states Dietrich. “Better to do without. Grasreiner, Ehrler and Dietrich advocate successful collaboration in the organisation of open space. Planners, playground manufacturers and landscape gardeners complement each other perfectly so that everyone had a discernible influence on the whole character of the playground using his or her own ideas in the sector and corresponding expert knowledge.
Teenagers, adults and children can benefit from it.
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