Understanding the Design Process
By: Vicki L. Stoecklin

Designing outdoor play and learning environments can be a complex process. This article discusses the steps involved in the design process and should help you to better understand your role in the process.

Money Doesn't Talk
One of the first issues that surfaces when I talk with people about outdoor play space renovation or construction is how much will all this cost? Although a valid concern, the question cannot be answered over the telephone or at the beginning of the design process. Determining the cost is based on many different variables, which will be discussed further in this article.

The only way to get an accurate cost estimate is for an expert to view the potential site, make a site analysis, gather information, evaluate the site design criteria and give you a projected design fee proposal. If you do not have an overall budget figure in mind for the construction or renovation, the expert should be able to assist you in creating one. Preparing a design fee proposal is a lengthy and complex process. The expert will expect to be compensated for all the work in this phase of the process.

Actually, rather than being one expert, the design team should be composed of several members whose collective experience includes expertise in early childhood, nature education, landscape architecture, plant selection for children, gardening for children, construction supervision, code and licensing requirements, the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, selection of equipment for young children and safety issues. The entire design team will have input into the design proposal, which is coordinated by the expert you have chosen.

Site Visitation and Analysis
In order to prepare the design fee proposal, a visit to your potential site will be necessary to determine its suitability as a children's naturalized play area. Every site has unique characteristics that can influence site development and play opportunities. The expert may be evaluating an existing site for renovation, a pre-selected site for new construction or looking at several sites for future development. In each case, the process of evaluation is the same.

A thorough inventory will need to be made of the location, site function, infrastructure such as drainage, existing land features and natural features. A list will be created and pictures will be taken of existing plants, trees and shrubs. Drainage issues on the existing property will need to be evaluated through a topography and drainage plan.

Play areas that ignore drainage and grading issues in their design often end up with pooling water and muddy areas, making them unusable for extended periods of time. Notation should be made of how much sunlight and shade your play area receives, how the site relates to the indoor classrooms and how the site fits into the existing neighborhood. Attention should also be given to how effectively the space provides a sense of enclosure and intimacy for children.

Information Gathering
This aspect of the design process is ongoing throughout all phases of a project. Design cannot be created in a vacuum and requires an ongoing dialogue between all members of the design team. Leaders will need to understand the concurrent nature of the participatory design and be willing to invest both time and energy into the production process. Ongoing dialogue will enable the collaborative efforts.

Evaluation of Site Design Criteria
After the site has been analyzed, there are still many elements to consider in creating a proposal for designing outdoor play spaces.

The first is looking at the most basic dimensions of spatial design such as scale, proportion, balance, rhythm, focal point and enclosure. Many elements have to be considered in the design fee proposal phase because these very elements can affect the amount of time and work necessary to actually create a final design. Since a play space for children is a complicated design task, the following criteria will also need to be evaluated in the design fee proposal phase:

• Outdoor users: What are the ages and numbers of children using the space? Are parents and staff going to use the space?
• Use of nature and equipment: What are the goals you wish to achieve in your outdoor space? What natural elements exist? What manufactured equipment is also needed?
• Accessibility: Are the playground and equipment accessible to children or adults with disabilities?
• Equipment: If you are using older equipment in a renovation, does it meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Guidelines for Public Playground Safety and the American Society for Testing Materials' Safety Standards? Is it more appropriate to use wooden or metal playground equipment?
• Supervision: Who will be supervising the children for outdoor experiences?
• Storage: How will you be storing your loose outdoor play equipment? Is vandalism a problem in the neighborhood?
• Diversity: How will the play space offer a safe challenge to meet the diverse developmental needs of children?
• Shade: How should the play areas be positioned to utilize shade from buildings and vegetation? Will there be adequate shade or is additional shade needed?
• Compliance issues: Can this play space meet the state licensing requirements, fire codes that relate to the evacuation of children and the Americans with Disabilities Act's guidelines for children's outdoor play spaces?

Pulling It All Together
Once all of the above information has been considered, the expert can present you with a design fee proposal. The proposal will include fees for both schematic drawings and final construction documents.

Schematic drawings are drafts of the visual representation of the outdoor space and a method for you to provide feedback before the final construction documents are prepared. The proposal should also include time for phone consultation and construction coordination and monitoring in addition to a final site visit to verify that the outdoor space was constructed according to the prepared documents.

Many people unknowingly create safety problems when they try to oversee the construction of the site or installation of the equipment without an expert involved. I have personally visited many unsafe playgrounds both old and new.

Once work has started on your project, the design team will continue to evaluate the site to create a design that includes additional criteria. These criteria will provide the framework for the design team's skill and creativity. Some of the additional design criteria that the design team will use to create an outdoor play and learning space are:

• Safety
• Safe challenge
• Diversity
• Range of challenges
• Seasonal changes
• Flexibility
• Permanence
• Change
• Open-endedness
• Year-round use
• Social interaction
• Balance of passive and active play
• Variety of socialization spots
• Variety of spatial experiences
• Variety of sensual experiences
• Undefined spaces
• Private areas
• Child-parent interaction
• Separation of activities
• Wildlife habitat
• Child-staff interaction
• Indoor/outdoor relationships
• Ease of economy and construction
• Maintenance

Research on children's preferences shows that if children had the design skills to do so, their creations would be completely different from the areas called playgrounds that most adults design for them.

Children's designed outdoor environments would not only be fully naturalized with plants, trees, flowers, water, dirt, sand, mud, animals and insects, but they would also be rich with a wide variety of play opportunities of every imaginable type. Your design team can create that unique environment for children.

Vicki L. Stoecklin is the Education and Child Development Director with White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, www.whitehutchinson.com, which specializes in design and consulting for children’s environments.

Sidebar
Top 10 Mistakes Made in the Design of Playgrounds

1. Not following the ADA guidelines for outdoor spaces, which applies to all new construction and renovations
 
2. Using a playground manufacturer rather than choosing an unbiased designer or consultant for your outdoor space
 
3. Choosing equipment that does not meet the developmental needs of children
 
4. Not putting trees, bushes and plants in the outdoor spaces
 
5. Creating spaces that only meet children's gross motor skills outdoors
 
6. Creating large, flat open spaces rather than areas for different types of play
 
7. Putting too much money into climbing equipment while ignoring other types of play
 
8. Not considering storage for the outdoor area
 

Product Roundup

KoalaPlay Group
Churches across the country are discovering that whether indoor or outdoor, KoalaPlay Group’s innovative play areas create an atmosphere that keeps children excited about church, making them want to go back, and thus bringing their parents with them. KoalaPlay Group’s unique, custom designs allow churches to use a signature attraction play area, whether it be a dry play structure or a soft foam play area to draw in new people, reach out to the community, and make a difference in the lives of children.
www.koalaplaygroup.com

MaxClimb System
A common problem with playground climbing wall systems is that the climber obstructs the parent or supervisor’s view of the play area. Park Structures designed the new MaxClimb System to remedy the issue of supervision around climbing walls. The rotomolded climbers are designed with carefully placed open handholds, allowing full visibility through the component and increased supervision in those typically hard-to-view areas. The MaxClimb System from Park Structures is the “clear” choice in climbing walls.
www.parkstructures.com

Pebble-Flex
Pebble-Flex has become a leader in providing comfortable, safe, durable and easily installed poured-in-place surface materials. Because Pebble-Flex is a UV-light-resistant thermoplastic urethane system, its vibrant colors won't fade over time. It is an ideal surface for playgrounds. The vibrant colors and ease of application allow Pebble-Flex to do amazing logo work on your surfaces. Their customers love the soft, safe, colorful surface they are able to provide to their "customers" - the kids.
www.pebble-flex.com

Kompan Elements
There is little that can compare to the expression on a toddler’s face when they are introduced to a world built just for them. The rest of the environment they live in is not designed to capture their young imagination or foster a child’s unique physical skills. For more than 30 years, Kompan Elements play equipment has played a special part in thousands of children’s lives. In a world built for grown-ups, Kompan Elements offers a special place just for toddlers to explore, create and discover.
www.kompan.com

WallCano Climbing Wall System
The new additions to the WallCano Climbing Wall System from GameTime are proving to be a huge hit with kids, providing them with a fun way to develop strength and coordination. Kids will experience the thrill and challenge of placing their hands and feet to climb to the top of the wall, just like adults, but with age-appropriate equipment geared toward their smaller hands and reach. It provides an easy to learn climbing activity for children, with brightly colored handholds, so they can easily see where to place their next hand or foot.
www.gametime.com

CoolNet Shade Canopies
BCI Burke offers CoolNet Shade Canopies to help reduce the dangerous exposure to U.V. rays and provide four to seven times more shade coverage than an average playground roof. Burke’s shade solution is a durable and attractive product that screens up to 95% of the sun’s dangerous rays, allowing children and adults to linger outdoors for extended periods of time safely. They also keep play equipment surfaces cooler for the more sensitive skin and hands of youngsters. CoolNet Shade Canopies are available for all Burke Series 2000, Series 3000 and Little Buddies Play Systems. 
www.bciburke.com

EPS Plastic Lumber
EPS manufactures and distributes 100% recycled HDPE plastic lumber and park furniture. With a 50-year limited warranty, they guarantee it   won’t splinter and rot like wood. It won’t dramatically fade, stain or delaminate like some composites you find at your local retailer. It simply looks like the furniture you installed, year after year. It is safer, cleaner and longer lasting than anything you can buy locally and is recycled from milk jugs. It comes in seven great colors.
www.EPSPlasticLumber.com

International Play Company
New products from International Play Company include the New Wizard Quest Interactive Game, Ballistic Ball Arenas, Obstacle Courses and Sport Courts. Make your church more dynamic than ever for young members and youth ministries. International Play Company is dedicated to creating customized play systems to meet your space and budget requirements. Create a play environment in a style to suit your church: a Noah’s Ark theme, a tree house or a jungle safari.  If you can dream it, they can design and install it. They adhere to ASTM, CPRA, IPEMA safety guidelines and have in-house playground safety inspectors. They offer interactive and creative play solutions at very reasonable prices.  Both indoor and outdoor designs are available with unique styling and design.
www.iplayco.com

Play Mart
Play Mart Playgrounds offers play equipment made with 100% Recycled Structural Plastic (RSP) supports, decks and railings. Being solid, color throughout plastic, RSP is virtually maintenance free - no splinters, splitting, staining, painting or sanding, saving you time, money and energy. RSP is backed by a 100-year warranty. Buyers can now cooperate with the Presidential mandate to “buy recycled end products and contribute to domestic energy conservation.” Play Mart gives you the choice of a recycled product that meets all the national and international safety guidelines and laws (ASTM, CPSC, CSA, EN and ADA) and also closes the “recycling circle” by recycling consumer waste.
www.playmart.com

Grounds For Play
Grounds For Play is a full-service provider of great children’s playground environments. This begins with their local Design Consultants who provide complete project consultation, site master plans and safety evaluations. The then manufacture, install, and service a full range of playground equipment, including play structures, safety surfacing, outdoor music gardens, shade components, and science and nature elements. What makes them different? They are built on an understanding of children. They are owned and operated by educators. Both Dr. Eric Strickland and Dr. Jim Dempsey have completed extensive research and writing on children's play and play environments.
www.groundsforplay.com

VeggieTales Playgrounds
VeggieTales playgrounds offer a unique look for your church playground with the characters your children know and love. For more than 10 years, children have been learning timeless values with Bob and Larry; now they can join them in play, on the playground. Custom designs with themed VeggieTales characters in music, sports, western and traditional character designs provides great street appeal. VeggieTales are the creation of Big Idea, Inc., a family media company committed to providing entertaining stories that help parents teach today's children important life lessons.  Now with Bob and Larry and all their friends taking the lessons to the playground – what could be better?
www.wowplaygrounds.com

Rock ‘n Cross from BigToys
BigToys’ new Rock ‘n Cross redefines traditional see-saws by combining a multi-rider teeter-totter with a dynamic overhead activity. The unique design of the Rock ‘n Cross removes the dangers of common teeter-totters by eliminating pinch points and sudden stops through the use of an internal spring-assisted action.  The “graduated challenge” of the Rock ‘n Cross offers children ages 5 and older individualized levels of activity to suit their developmental abilities. It is the latest example of BigToys’ dedication to providing children with both physical and social development in a single play activity. Founded in 1970, BigToys creates opportunities for kids to interact through play where they develop the skills that will equip them for life.
www.bigtoys.com

Mobius from Landscape Structures
Landscape Structures has introduced the Mobius climber, a looping, twisting climber that brings a breathtaking play experience and a beautiful new look to any playground. The sleek, unique design of the Mobius climber could pass for modern art, but every inch was designed to delight and challenge kids. Kids will love climbing through this wonderful playscape where up is down, front is back and every direction is full of loopy, twisty fun. Many kids of different ages and climbing abilities can enjoy the Mobius climber at the same time. The Mobius comes in four twisty configurations – 3-Panel, 6-Panel, 7-Panel and 12-Panel – where the complexity and length of the climbing surface increases with the number of panels. You can even choose from two shimmering panel colors – natural aluminum or bronze – and a wide variety of fade-resistant support post colors.
www.playlsi.com

Dynamo Playgrounds
From the rotating climbers to the swings to their extensive line of playnets, Dynamo has something to bring kids of all ages running to the church playground. Combining the fun of climbing with the thrill of motion, their dynamic games incorporate elements of movement, balance, exercise and teamwork while exceeding the requirements of today’s heightened safety concerns. No playground is complete without their unique games that will leave you hooked on the feeling.
www.dynamoplaygrounds.com

Playguard and Playguard Ultra Tiles
Abacus Sports Installations has introduced Playguard and Playguard Ultra Tiles. These resilient playground-surfacing systems combined strength, durability and eye appeal.  Abacus finds importance in providing slip resistance and safety to the nation’s children and creating a playground surface that can be accessed and enjoyed by more children at all ability levels. Abacus’s playground system offers a variety of UV stable colors and ADA accessories, and the system meets the government’s critical fall height requirements. Adding accessories, such as hopscotch tiles, allows the facility to maximize the use of the entire play area. Abacus’s playground system allows for an evenly distribution of water permeation through and between the tiles, reducing the concern of standing water and slippery surfaces, making it ready to use minutes after a heavy rainfall.
www.abacussurfaces.com

PermaLife Pour & Play
Permalife offers its Pour & Play for long-lasting ADA ASTM-compliant, IPEMA-certified commercial and residential playground applications. You’re looking at a ground-breaking way of protecting our most important natural resources--our kids. Pour & Play protects them from playground bumps and bruises by cushioning their falls with an environmentally friendly safety surface that is a colorful, clean alternative to sand and wood mulch. PermaLife Pour & Play comes from tires that have been granulated, cleaned and recycled especially for playground use; it acts like sand, but feels much softer on little knees. And, unlike other safety surfaces, PermaLife Pour & Play holds its vibrant color and lasts for years. So for greater safety for your kids, pour it on with PermaLife Pour & Play. 
www.permalife.com

Surface America
Surface America has a complete line of sports and recreational surfacing systems. Each surfacing system is designed to meet the highest safety and quality standards. Featuring three surface types for playgrounds--PlayBound Poured-In-Place, Tile and TurfTop with Infill--Surface America combines sound construction practices with skilled installation crews. From the basic one color to an elaborate custom design, Surface America can meet all of your surfacing needs. Free-flow water design means no rain delay for play. As an active member of the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA), Surface America builds safety into every system. 
www.surfaceamerica.com

World Globe Panel
Kidstuff Playsystems has introduced the World Globe Panel. Beautifully detailed in blue and green, the 16-inch-diameter world globe is molded in durable acrylic plastic.  Spinning at 23.5 degrees, just like the earth on its axis, the world globe sits in a tough rotation molded plastic panel, marked with the four points of the compass. The world globe shows countries, oceans, continents, seas, large rivers and even the states of the United States. It also shows tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the Arctic and Antarctic circles and much more. All the graphics are applied to the inside of the globe, so they can’t be scratched. The world globe is available as a freestanding panel or as part of a playsystem. 
www.kidstuffplaysystems.com

EnvyLawn
Even the most challenging terrain can look like a lush oasis with EnvyLawn. Natural looking and feeling, EnvyLawn by Challenger Industries is a technologically advanced synthetic turf system, engineered for durability, performance and appearance.  EnvyLawn's revolutionary grass fibers give the effect of a perfect lawn, year round and are perfect for commercial use.  EnvyLawn is available in multiple styles and infill options. Designs can accommodate different aesthetics, climates (rainfall, temperature, etc.), surface traffic and slopes and contours.
www.challengerind.com