The Thrill of Inclusive Design
Outdoor play equipment allows children to be physically active and interact with their peers. It can also help them develop empathy and tolerance by sharing and enhancing creativity and imagination, not to mention decreasing their sense of loneliness and fear of social interaction.
When given the opportunity, most children love the thrill of physical and explorative play and the joy of playing with others. Why, then, are not all playgrounds created equal? People with disabilities are too often underrepresented in outdoor leisure activities due to a lack of accessibility and inclusivity – two crucial pillars of effective design that are often mistaken for having the same outcome.
Thomas Street Reserve in Hampton, Victoria, is the first inclusive playspace in Bayside. The new space repurposes the ‘fort’ theme from the original 30-year-old park after ongoing consultation with the local community, which designer Ric McConaghy said was a crucial element of the pioneering project.
Bayside Council location
Michelle Herbut is the Senior Business Development Manager at Lark Industries, a leading Australian play and exercise equipment supplier. Lark Industries have been reimagining outdoor recreation spaces across Australia for more than ten years with a focus on sustainability and world-class design. Their projects, which include the Pentridge children’s lawn in Coburg and an internet-connected fun zone at the University of Queensland in St Lucia, are changing the visual landscapes of local communities and promoting the movement for physical and mental well-being.
Herbut said the Thomas Street project in Bayside is all about inclusion, not only in terms of physical ability but also for different age groups and demographics that exist within the community.
“Ric approached us with a brief after a long period of consultation with the community. We decided to use off-the-shelf products to keep costs down for the client and to ensure different elements or materials could be easily replaced when needed,” Herbut explained.
“Our plan is to keep working with inclusive design in the future because, as a company, we can and want to cater to diverse client needs.”
Lark Industries worked with the National Ageing Research Institute to create a senior-specific exercise space at the Thomas Street Reserve that would provide opportunities for older community members to engage in safe physical and social activities.
The benefits of senior residents getting outdoors are obvious – it not only assists with their mental health and well-being but also means they are able to be more active and independent for longer. Over time, this access to more age-friendly active outdoor spaces will help to prevent falls and take pressure off Australia’s health systems.
Most notably, the specialized play and exercise equipment at the Thomas Street Reserve is intergenerational – senior residents can utilize their own exercise unit to help build strength and mobility in their joints while their grandchildren or other young members of their community play alongside them.
Read more from Bayside City Council: Bayside parks that contain seniors exercise equipment
Custom-designed Lappset Fono Interactive DJ-booth
The Fono comprises custom benches that provide an area for users to hang out and listen to music. This idea aims to involve as many young people as possible. There is even a dedicated Parkour area to test the agility of older children and teenagers.
The interactives are a new product to the Australian market, and they can add a lot of value to a playspace,
-Michelle Herbut is the Senior Business Development Manager at Lark Industries
People sometimes think of interactives as too complex for an outdoor space due to the use of power, but really they are such important additions. DJ Fono was created by one of our partners, Lappset Interactive, and it’s a great tool to cater for older children, who can be harder to involve in a playspace.
-Michelle Herbut
We know that there are lots of kids in our municipality – every municipality – who have some form of a disability, and everyone has a growing mind and body, so it’s really important that we provide opportunities for everyone to do that play and exploration.
- Andrew Shannon, the Inclusion Officer at Bayside City Council
Creating an Inclusive Playground
Universal design implies an inclusive approach to public planning that expands beyond traditional play space boundaries, which was the vision of the Bayside City Council and the mission of Ric McConaghy and Lark Industries when designing and delivering a space that will welcome and encourage an entire community.
Read the complete reference here.