I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the firms who submitted projects for this year's Playgrounds Issue. On top of the eight that we are highlighting as featured articles in this magazine, we received an additional 33 submissions from 29 firms. While all of these projects will be displayed on the homepage of LandscapeArchitect.com at some point between late August and early October, I felt this was an appropriate space to shoutout a few Honorable Mentions.

Henslee Park Inclusive Playground and Splashpad
Alisha Eley Anderson, PLA, LEED AP, ASLA Kimley-Horn

 
Henslee Park includes a 25,000-square-foot inclusive playground with 26 play elements and a 4,000-square-foot splash pad with 20 interactive water features. Supporting amenities include shaded seating areas, a pavilion, musical play features, and custom playground equipment. An accessible restroom and mechanical building includes an upper-level covered picnic and viewing area with sightlines to the play spaces. The playground and splash pad are integrated into a single circulation system, with the site's natural topography informing building placement, circulation, and viewing areas.

Katherine Rose Memorial Park
Landon Bell, PLA, Parkhill
Katherine Rose Memorial Park's improvements include relocating the playground and restroom building outside the floodway and incorporating a new parking lot within the existing heritage pecan orchard without removing trees. Play towers are positioned within openings in the tree canopy, while nature-inspired play zones provide varied activities. Accessible features include more than 100 linear feet of ramps connecting activity levels, wheelchair-accessible swings, and inclusive play equipment. Additional amenities include shaded seating, open sightlines, and a fully accessible restroom with family stalls and an attached pavilion.

Hero Park Universally Accessible Playground
Upland Design Ltd
Hero Park features a universally accessible playground with a resilient safety surface, wide winding ramps, transfer stations, supportive seating, and accessible handholds connecting multiple levels of play. Play elements include climbers, high-back inclusive swings, stainless steel and molded slides, musical features, and interactive panels. The site also incorporates shade structures and a picnic area. The playground's design provides accessible routes to elevated play areas and integrates equipment that supports children with a range of physical abilities.

We are actively taking submissions for all types of projects and would love to see yours! Send us pictures and a project summary at Editorial@Landscapearchitect.com. All properly submitted projects will be reviewed for the magazine and will make it on the homepage of LandscapeArchitect.com where we receive 200,000 pageview every month from the 19,255 Landscape Architects in the US and thousands of other commercial specifiers around the world.

God Bless!

As seen in LASN magazine, September 2026.