The expansion of a playground equipment replacement project at Central Park Main in Fremont, Calif., led to an entirely new and accessible playground festooned with custom structures in a prehistoric nature theme, stormwater retention and native plantings. The Sabertooth Cat, the park's central fixture, was designed by Themescapes, Inc., in coordination with GameTime, as was the Robinson Crusoe tree house structure.

The Sabercat play area at Central Park Main in Fremont, Calif., started out with replacing bland, beige, stock play equipment buried in an overflowing sand pit. During the conceptual design, however, the design group recognized the opportunity to transform the largest play area in Fremont's most significant community park from structured play to "challenge and adventure" play.

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The use of unique structures was emphasized wherever possible, and included a stacked log climber, tree stump transfer platform and a rock outcrop bridge. Two custom play designers and three play equipment makers provided the elements.

Design
The design team, lead by city of Fremont landscape architect Andrew Mayes, decided the playground needed to be more visible, more interesting, more accessible and foster better circulation. The location of the playground, adjacent to Lake Elizabeth and surrounded by shoreline trees, led to the selection of vertical structures connected with lower profile natural play features, as well as a variety of climbing structures to allow kids to gain a more aerial perspective of the area.

The initial challenge was to create a play space that physically blended into the existing park, while visually standing out from typical park playground. That vision evolved into the creation of spaces that had clear age-appropriate separation, while remaining thematically interconnected.

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The poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing (TotTurf) contains a minimum of 75 percent recycled California passenger vehicle tires, diverting more than 8,300 tires from California landfills. Planting islands with integrated bench pairings were added closer to the play areas, creating a natural separation of spaces and eventually providing shade for the park's visitors.

A nature theme was selected. There's a tall tree house, elevated platforms with big slides, climbing trees and rope bridges and a massive climbing rock in the center. The playground's crescent shape created better access from the main entry points, more convenient paths and improved circulation. The space now focuses attention on the long sight lines to the Fremont Hills, enhancing the views of Lake Elizabeth. Formal seating areas at the center of the playground gives adults complete views of what's going on in the playground.

Challenges and Features
Removal of the sand surfacing and installation of poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing required capture and treatment of stormwater runoff. This challenge brought more nature to the playground: a biofiltration treatment basin, native fescue grasses and ornamental boulders. The stormwater runoff is managed through natural looking detention, which slowly empties through a babbling brook into Lake Elizabeth, the primary source of irrigation water for Fremont Central Park.

Perimeter curbing was eliminated from the design to ensure maximum ADA accessibility, allowing all to fully navigate on the playground. A focus on recycled materials also supplemented the project's construction. Demolition specifications required 75-100 percent of the concrete, asphalt concrete and project metals be recycled at nearby waste handling facilities. The project site furnishings and play equipment contain a minimum of 50 percent recycled materials, repurposing materials once destined for the landfill.

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Cre8Play designed this "Junkyard' tree house in coordination with Miracle Play Group, Inc. It is one of two custom, roofed tree houses that stand more than 20 feet tall. These tall pieces are offset and encircled by lower-profile natural play features.

Two 20-ft. tall roofed tree houses are arrayed in the crescent-shaped play space, leading to the rock climber, the centerpiece of the playground. The Sabercat Climbing Rock, inspired by the local discovery of prehistoric mammal fossils in the 1940s, provides children with a climbing challenge and great views. Hiding nooks in the mouth and "belly" of the structure add additional interest. Central picnic areas serve families visiting the playground, with play spaces sited for maximum convenience for playground users. New tree clusters unify the space, creating a visual cohesion to the playground complex.

Fremont Central Park's Sabercat Play Area opened to the public on July 4, 2012, in time for children and families to enjoy the plays pace for the bulk of the summer. The "prehistoric" structures continue to draw visitors of all ages and abilities, eager to climb and view their surroundings.

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The 2-5 year old play area (Little Tykes Commercial, Universal Precast Concrete) is intended to be a starting point for the natural climbing play experience. Small rock outcroppings, short tree stumps, embedded fallen logs and an in-ground wooly mammoth skeleton provide a strong visual and contextual connection to the bigger play structures.

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