Redevelopment project playground Zilversmidshof
In December 2019 the municipality of Krimpenwaard asked us for our input in their redevelopment project for a playground in Zilversmidshof, Schoonhoven. A need for a new play area arised because of a reorganisation of the neighbourhood. Old and vacant office buildings were being replaced by new properties. Rienie van Iersel, a representative at BOERplay: “There already were a few play areas in the neighbourhood, mostly geared towards kids up to about 9 years old. This new playground had to be more engaging so kids up to 12 years old were also sufficiently challenged.” In addition, the city council also wished to give the play area a more natural look, so the green surroundings blended smoothly into the neighbourhood. Besides that, there was also a need for rainwater retention when torrential rainfall occurs, in connection with climate adaptation.
The local residents were already actively involved in the application process. The children had already made drawings and described what they wanted the playground to look like. In their designs the kids made clear they wanted to play football, swing, climb, tumble and slide. This is what they wrote with their designs: “We chose a football cage for the older kids. We picked lots of green because often times people find this nice and relaxing.” And: “We decided on grass so when the kids fall they won’t get hurt.”
We incorporated all these wishes in to a nice proposal and visualised it with a floorplan. We used 2D and 3D animations so everyone could get a good visual representation of how the play area would be designed. Rienie van Iersel explained: “Every child plays differently, we really focus on this when designing a new play area.” BOERplay’s vision is based of Bertus Mulder, who considers there to be four types of players:
- Energizers: these kids want to burn off their energy on the playground. Competitive aspects and height differences are more attractive to them than a play set.
- Structure seekers: these kids like to play together. Alongside other kids they create their own stories. For example, the playhouse just transformed in to a fortress that needs to be invaded and the wadi turned into a rough sea they had to conquer without getting wet.
- Builders: these kids use everything in sight to play with. For example, branches, sand, water, climbing trees.
- Observers: these kids want somewhere quiet to play or a place to sit and observe everything. They like to play together with others but can also just as easily enjoy their own company.
In the design for the playground in Zilversmidshof, Schoonhoven we specifically checked if the four types of players all had their own set of playing possibilities. With a panna pitch and a challenging climb- and balancing course.
Van Iersel: “The council shared all the different designs with the local residents and specialists. They could vote for which design they wanted and they chose for BOERplay. Subsequently, we proceeded further with the project. Besides installing the play sets we also constructed the drainage system for the wadi and slope. We took on everything ourselves, so the council didn’t have to handle it.”
The local kids are loving their new playground. A nice and successful project!