YOUR FORUM FOR PLAY, SPORTS UND LEISURE AREAS
Willem van Veenendaal (KOMPAN): I agree with you on that. Despite difficult market conditions, Kompan Germany has been able to further expand its position and structures. Despite the financial crisis, Kompan has created more than six new jobs in Germany in the past two years alone. The focus here is on quality, professional support, cooperation and expansion as a full-range provider. Kompan’s product range is also being expanded in 2012, with Robinia and Icon for example. Worldwide, Kompan has doubled its sales in the past ten years.
Thomas R. Müller: What is Kompan focussing on this year?
Willem van Veenendaal: In terms of quality, we would like to persuade through even better consultation and communication with our customers, intensified by and through the Kompan Play Institute.
Thomas R. Müller: Inside-Out – Kompan’s knowledge and experience in the subject of play is to be conveyed through intensive customer support?
Willem van Veenendaal: Our children are changing. Just as the world is subject to increasingly rapid change, so childhood is changing as well. Childhood is not a place that remains the same forever, even if certain aspects of human development hardly change. Childhood is much more a place which is greatly defined by changes in society, just as adulthood is. More than ever, children today need the protection and education of the adults in their lives. But this well-intentioned protection has also changed substantially over the past 50 years. In many respects, children today have to be resilient in different ways than their parents, yet autonomous and physically active in a different way as well. Playing outdoors, which 50 years ago was the natural pastime of all children, has become a rare pleasure for children today. Based on research by the Kompan Play Institute, playing in playgrounds is able to provide excellent support for three important areas of social development: our children’s health, their learning process and their social integration. That’s why Kompan has chosen to specialise in exactly this area. And Kompan’s customers benefit from that.
Thomas R. Müller: Kompan incorporates multi-layered research into its playground analysis?
Willem van Veenendaal: Among other things, the changes in children’s health and how playgrounds contribute to solving these problems. Due to the sedentary lifestyle in urban areas, where the space previously available for play has been swallowed up by traffic, and due to the overabundance of digital media and at-home play, children’s physical condition and capabilities are declining. In Germany the number of children who don’t get enough exercise is alarming. This impairs both their motor skills and the scope of their physical activity. The Robert Koch Institute’s comprehensive German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS study), which was based on responses by 4,529 participants aged 4-17, revealed that: 25% of German children between 3 and 10 years old have no regular athletic activity. 10% of German children between 3 and 10 years old never have any athletic activity. German boys between the ages of 11 and 17 devote an average of 7.8 hours per week to physical activities and/or athletics. German girls between the ages of 11 and 17 devote an average of 4.5 hours per week to physical activities and/or athletics.
Children’s motor skills are declining at a worryingly rapid rate. According to the KiGGS study: 35% of children between the ages of 4 and 17 are not capable of taking two or more steps backwards on a 3 cm wide balance beam. 86% of children between the ages of 4 and 17 are not capable of balancing on one leg for one minute. This is a substantial decline in motor skills compared to those recorded 20 years ago. German researchers explain this with three examples: The first cause is children’s excessive media consumption. Secondly, children spend too much time inside their homes. A study of 1404 children in Karlsruhe, Germany revealed that: Only 1/3 of the children play outdoors on a daily basis. 39% play outdoors twice a week. 25% play outdoors once a week or less.
The researchers cite the isolation of children as the third aspect: They spend more time at home, so they become less easily acquainted with the environment outside their homes. When they do leave their homes, they take a car, bus or train to get to school, leisure activities or friends.
This can be counteracted by parents leading with a good example and promoting their children’s physical activity, but also by the availability of more options for outdoor play and athletics, with well-planned playgrounds for example.
Another cause is the declining investment in playgrounds. According to the latest study by the Kompan Play Institute, in Germany only €1.61 per capita is invested in playgrounds each year. This is half (or even less than) the sums that other countries invest.
Thomas R. Müller: So the Kompan service is a complete solution?
Willem van Veenendaal: Since most clients seldom acquire entire playground solutions, the purchase can pose a large and unusual challenge for them. That’s why we have composed a process description that guides customers through the five separate steps that lead to an optimal playground solution and the maintenance that follows a completed installation. We do this to reduce the complexity of the subject and to give our clients a sense of security and familiarity. That way, from the very beginning they know the individual aspects that influence the decision-making process – because we’ve explained it to them.
From initial planning to playground maintenance, Kompan supports its clients every step of the way: Planning, design and approval, delivery and installation, safety and maintenance, and a warranty on parts are all important factors here. We plan for the benefit of child development through playing on the playground. A playground is a powerful tool for helping children to gain better health, boost their learning capacity and achieve better social integration. Other factors in this regard are: Play and health. Play and learning. Play for social integration. The Kompan decision wheel, which takes into account the factors of child/user, environment, skills, space and forms of play, is decisive in this process. Lastly, the appearance of the playground should be mentioned as well, and whether the design is to be modern, traditional or natural.
Thomas R. Müller: Playing outdoors is of crucial importance to children, given that the places provided for this are well planned and offer opportunities for diverse activities? Kompan offers the complete package?
Willem van Veenendaal: For children, the term ‘learning’ goes far beyond merely acquiring scholastic knowledge. A child must learn crucial practical skills and this works best through playful interaction with others. In playing, children learn something about themselves and their environment. And physical activity in itself already forms a foundation for the learning process. A child’s circulation increases by 13% just from simple walking. Children with good physical coordination are also able to concentrate better. It’s also been proven that children who were very active as infants and toddlers have better linguistic development than other children who were more passive at that age. Children require emotional stability in order to learn. Learning remains unsuccessful without this stability. Studies by the University of Karlsruhe revealed that children who are active on a daily basis are less aggressive. They also have fewer accidents and, finally: They are more motivated in going to school and have a stronger personality.
Playing outdoors is of crucial importance to children, as you said, given that the places provided for this are well planned and offer opportunities for diverse activities.
The biggest challenge is in creating the right playgrounds. A multitasking project: Clients and those who influence them (such as architects), need to be supported to make a complete overview possible. The future users and operators must be sufficiently included in the decision-making process. Playground equipment manufacturers must regard themselves not only as product suppliers but also as providers of concepts. The client is also taken on the journey!
Thomas R. Müller: And what other news does Kompan have for 2012?
Willem van Veenendaal: We’re planning a knowledge exchange through a close collaboration with Kinderhilfswerk, the German children’s fund. Second keyword: Playmapping: The data for all new playground installations can be viewed in the online Playmapping database (www.playmapping.com). The client receives a code to access all relevant information about their playground on line at any time, from the TÜV safety certificate to installation instructions to the inspection protocols. This service is provided by our partner company REPCON.
This interview was conducted by Thomas R. Müller
