It's not your standard playground. And it's our guess that that is why this park has become so popular with Adelaide's families (and the media!) since it was opened. Working closely with Outerspace Landscape Architects, adventure+ created two of the feature pieces of play equipment within the park – a barn and windmill.

FROM HAND SKETCHES TO REALITY

adventure+ was approached by Outerspace Landscape Architects, an Adelaide based award-winning landscape architecture firm, to create the centrepiece play structures for the Freedom Park in Two Wells, Adelaide.

The vision for the space was to create a rural, farm-themed play space that challenged and engaged children and their families. A key component in achieving this theme was creating a barn style play structure and a windmill.

A few ideas sketched on paper by the head landscape architect formed the basis for these creative structures. The team at adventure+ used the sketches and concepts from previously completed projects to design the equipment.

"The landscape architect came to us with their ideas sketched on paper. That started a collaborative process", John Kelsey, adventure+ playground consultant, said.

"Our designers took the sketches and used our modular system to match the sketches as closely as possible. Of course, this involved ensuring it was compliant with Standards. The most satisfying thing for me was creating something that was specifically designed to suit the clients brief, not just pulling a play unit design out of a catalogue, but still meeting their budget", John said.

While the equipment may look totally bespoke, adventure+ used a modular system that ensures Standards compliance before leaving the factory. It also reduces production and installation time which makes it more economical.

TIMBER/STEEL HYBRID SHINES

The equipment by adventure+ is constructed from the spectrum+ hybrid style of equipment that utilises steel uprights with timber platforms and cladding. The timber gives a natural look, and the rustic, irregular cladding adds to this further.

The hybrid style is ideal where the council or developers want a natural feel but want to reduce the amount of timber used in the ground.

STIMULATING PLAY FOR ALL

While aesthetics were important to achieve the vision of a farm theme, the play units were specially designed to maximise play value through a diverse range of activities for all age groups.

Developed by Land Australia, part of the developers, Hickinbotham Group, Freedom Park aims to offer play at all levels, including a range of challenging, nature-based opportunities.

In addition to the barn and windmill play structures by adventure+, the 10,000-square-metre park has climbing frames, a giant treehouse, a sandpit, a water play area, a giant chessboard, table tennis, shelters, barbecues, walking trails, toilets and open spaces.