A Natural Playground

One of the more challenging aspects of designing a playground is making sure that the manufactured play equipment blends in naturally with the surrounding environment. No where else is that decorative blending more imperative than when the area in question is known for its mountains, trees and natural features. Located in the Rocky Mountains, Colo., the city of Vail is known to outdoor enthusiasts all over the world as one of the prime settings for world-class skiing. The area is also a haven to residents and families who appreciate the many recreational opportunities living in Vail allows them. For these residents, nature is a large part of their lives and a pivotal aspect of the character within the community.

A Community Expression

The Ford Park Playground was originally designed by THK Associates in 1987 and constructed by the Town of Vail in 1988. Named after the area's most well-known citizen, former President Gerald Ford, the site is the largest community park in Vail. Suffering from outdated equipment and showing signs of decay, the playground was recently renovated by the city. The $250,000 project not only improved the aesthetics of the location, but it also enabled the area to conform to current safety standards. The team in charge of renovating the playground wanted to ensure that the children who lived in the area were part of the design process.

At the suggestion of Dianne Johnson, a Youth Services Supervisor at Vail Recreation District, local children were interviewed in an effort to elicit their opinions about the type of features they would most like to see at the new playground. Almost two dozen 3rd to 8th grade students from the Red Sand Stone Elementary School and Minturn Middle School participated in the design of the playground. The children were picked up from school and driven to various local playgrounds. At each stop, the kids were asked to express their opinions about the features contained at each site. Listening to the opinions of the participating children was an important part of the process for project organizers. "From my professional standpoint, it shows that our community values its young people and is willing to listen," Johnson said. "It's a great way for that group of 20 kids to always feel they have ownership in the playground, and therefore, in the community." As other locations have shown, instilling a sense of ownership in the playground increases the likelihood that the site will be properly maintained by visitors.

The Design Requirements

Once the children had a chance to express their opinions, one thing was clear - the playground needed to provide a sense of adventure. To satisfy that need, the team incorporated bridges, climbing walls, multiple levels, and various routes within the new design. Todd Oppenheimer, Landscape Architect and Park Superintendent for the Town of Vail, designed a vine-covered climbing wall that would give kids a strong sense of excitement and fun. "Todd came up with the idea to have a climbing wall that had more than just a mountain theme," said Gregg Barrie, ASLA, Landscape Architect for the project. "We were looking for something more innovative and something that kids would think of as adventurous." Apart from providing obvious play opportunities, the design of the climbing wall also integrates safety barriers at the top of the structure. Making sure that the site features conform to current codes was one of the main goals of the renovation. For this particular project, a great advantage to the design process was that both Oppenheimer and Barrie are certified playground safety inspectors.

Design Criteria

In addition to incorporating current playground safety standards, an important part of the design was utilizing the image of Vail and developing the ideas provided by the children. The design team developed the following set of design requirements:

1) Theme: The design of the playground was intended to resemble the look and feel of a remote village. This theme would have to fully integrate the design into the existing site while using natural elements such as boulder walls, wooden structures, and native plantings.

2) Experience: The intention behind the design would need to involve the children in as many sensory experiences as possible. The equipment and features at the site needed to create different pathways and routes for children to discover as they play. The area had to enable children to experience spontaneous learning.

3) Age Appropriate Play: The design needed to feature suitable play areas for different age groups. Children under the age of five should have a separate play area from children ages 5-12.

4) 4) Accessibility: The playground design needed to conform to the latest in playground accessibility codes. This design requirement provided one of the most challenging aspects of the project. "As far as challenges of the project, I think one of the most difficult things about the site was dealing with the multiple grade changes throughout the playground," Barrie said. The 3 to 6 foot grade changes had a strong influence on the types of features ultimately chosen for the site. Once the four-part criteria was satisfied, the team constructed a wonderful display by incorporating the children's ideas

with the site requirements. The wooden play pieces have individual playground components such as slides and climbers that attach to the structures. In addition to the wooden pieces, the site features play equipment supplied by Kompan and Miracle Recreation.

Birds of Nature

One of the most important things a designer can do when designing a playground is to incorporate an icon or theme that is specific to the area. At the Ford Park Playground, this icon is represented by two large sculpted birds. Designed and sculpted by Robert Tully, the two granite ptarmigan act as a focal point for the area while also bringing nature into the design. The ptarmigan is a bird native to the high alpine regions that surround Vail. One sculpture is of a mother spreading her wings, while the other sculpture is a chick placed away from its mother. In addition, there is also a piece of granite that offers a carved description of the ptarmigans. By using the icon of the bird, designers were able to pay tribute to the location while adding an interesting visual image for the playground and the surrounding area.

The natural setting can be both a blessing and a challenge for designers who live in alpine locations. On the one hand, there is plenty of natural rock available to incorporate into the design. "Every time we dug a hole, we would find rock," explained Barrie. The boulders that frame the fibar safety surfacing at the site are a great way of bringing natural elements into the playground. However, the grade changes gave designers an usual set of logistical issues at the location.

Another challenge was to make sure that all of the necessary features made it in to the final design. "The biggest challenge was fitting all the things we wanted to include into the playground into this existing spot," Barrie said. The team used some creative solutions, such as the vine-covered climbing wall, to provide more room while simultaneously helping with grade issues. "By using the climbing wall, we were able to bring out this vertical play element that helps retain the grade behind it, but also opens up more play room below."

Putting it Together

In order for a playground design to come to life, a committed team of professionals needs to work together to make that vision a reality. For the Ford Park Playground, the Town of Vail Department of Public Works performed a majority of the renovation work for the project. The Town's carpentry department constructed all of the wooden structures including the hanging "Jungle Bridge" and installed all of the play components attached to those wooden structures. The Town's welder constructed the handrails, and Town crews installed the landscaping, irrigation, and the wood safety surfacing. In addition, Site Resources Management, Inc. was hired to perform most of the heavy construction such as building boulder walls; excavation, forming, and pouring of the structure for the climbing wall; and pouring concrete walks and stairs.

Barrie said his main reward for working on the project was seeing all the different groups of participants come together and make the project a success. "It was such a collaborative effort. The Town of Vail did most of the work but there were many entities involved," Barrie said. "It was nice to see how everything came together." For Barrie, the most fulfilling part of the end result was realizing that the final design was very similar to ideas of the school children that were part of the early design process. "After everything was done, I pulled out some old drawings that the kids made and I saw that we were able give them the playground they asked for," he said. "Sometimes when you get into a design, you can lose track of your original idea. But in this case, we were able to give the children exactly what they wanted."