A STELLAR ASTRONOMY-INSPIRED PLAY SPACE BROUGHT TO LIFE BY FORGE

Young and old, the stars have fascinated humans for millennia, offering an endless source of wonder, hope and ethereal intrigue.

When the opportunity came to create a new destination play precinct in the heart of Canberra’s Molonglo Valley—literally in the shadows of the Mount Stromlo Observatory—Capital Estate Developments (CED) seized its moment.

Envisaged by award-winning landscape architects, Spiire, and translated into a whimsical reality by FORGE (formerly Fleetwood Urban), the fully-custom Denman Village Playground invites visitors to be immersed in an array of bespoke astronomy-themed structures, experiences and play elements.

Since officially opening in late 2024, it has become the creative showpiece of the sweeping new community parklands in Denman Prospect, just 12km from Parliament House.

THE BRIEF

Located less than 2.5km from the summit of Mount Stromlo, the project team’s challenge was to capture the essence of Canberra’s famous observatory and night sky through a series of unique astronomy-related play elements. Overlaying this was the strong desire to maximise moments of play for children of all ages—within the confines of the budget.

Given the large scale of the site and the multi-faceted nature of the structures—including a soaring 8-metre-high play dome reflecting the observatory itself, supported by just a single column—extensive design detailing and pre-construction was undertaken in close collaboration between Spiire, RAM Constructions, FORGE and CED.

One of the most intricate elements of the entire design brief called for perforated aluminium ‘constellation’ panels to be used inside the main dome. These perforations needed to be painstakingly detailed and crafted to ensure they mirrored what you would actually see if you looked up into the Canberra night sky—including the Southern Cross.

Seamlessly integrating so many custom play and access elements into the one precinct was also a hugely complex engineering and delivery challenge for the installation team at FORGE, working alongside the principal contractor, RAM Constructions.

THE STRUCTURE 

Overflowing with whimsy and wonder, children light up from the first moment they lay eyes upon Denman Village Playground. The most popular items—and creative centrepieces—are unquestionably the hero play dome and three giant hanging spherical play structures.

Suspended rubber ‘planet’ pommels, climbing nets and a 6.3m tube slide with portholes complete the main play elements, whilst the astronomy aesthetic is complemented by beautiful powder-coated aluminium cladding and soffits—inspired by the constellations of the Southern night sky.

Providing ease of movement around the site, together with opportunities for parents to supervise their children without interfering, the precinct is connected by a winding elevated boardwalk and viewing platform, finished with Millboard Smoked Oak decking and illuminated handrails.

“FORGE were really good to work with. The communication throughout the whole process from early on in the design right through to construction was really hands on. As a client, that was really important for us,” remarked Bridget Bence from CED.

Such has been the success of the Denman Village Playground, CED has since engaged the same project team to deliver a second custom play structure nearby—this time inspired by the rolling forms of the Brindabella Ranges.

View interviews with key project stakeholders

Visit FORGE via the links below to learn more