Beyond swings and slides

ntegrated equipment is taking over from individual pieces. (Equipment by Gebal)

The region's playgrounds are growing increasingly sophisticated as new innovation in equipment arrives on the market. Michele Howe takes a look.

Once upon a time, playgrounds were fairly minimal affairs - a slide, a roundabout, maybe a swing or two. Nowadays, however, it's a whole different ball game. Today's playgrounds are sophisticated, multi-facet affairs, offering no end of challenges for their young users.

And the Middle East is proving particularly keen to invest, say suppliers.

Story continues below

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article

Playground equipment has grown much more sophisticated in terms of design and concept.

"Ten years ago, nobody had any idea about play equipment, all they knew is there wasn't any and the kids were playing in the street," says Alex Charawani, managing partner of playground equipment supplier Gebal, which has worked in the playground business in the region since 1996.

"The big move in the last one to two years - reflecting a change from the market in Europe - is to get away from your basic platform, slides, steps kind of thing," he continues.

"It's all to do with the play equipment not looking completely obvious. It's letting the child think about how he's going to get up and over and through and down this thing."

Challenging playground equipment is the latest trend these days. Steps, for example, are now placed in a variety of formats rather than the standard rung between two poles.

Modern equipment may, for instance, instead of steps, place the pole in the middle with the rung either side, or use spherical balls.

"Playground equipment has grown much more sophisticated in terms of design and concept due to the increasing demand for more challenging play," says Jade Tan, marketing manager at Malaysian playground manufacturer Park Games, which has supplied equipment to a number of projects in the Middle East.

"You can now find play equipment components that before were unimaginable. Some common examples are the variety of climbers and slides available. Slides, for example, used to always be straight, now the design can be straight, waved, spiral, tube, single to triple slides and from 3' height all the way up to 12' for tube slides," she adds.

New trends

Interactive play equipment is one idea that is catching on in the region, according to Gebal.

This combines physical and mental activity by using an outdoor monitor that asks a child questions and then depending on the answer, influences the activity they do.

This will be a big move in the next two or three years in the region, especially in schools, predicts Charawani.

Theme-based equipment is another current trend, says Tan. "Clients nowadays take concept seriously," she says.

"The theme of the playground determines the image of the park. For example, a zoo would be likely to go for a safari theme." Park Games offers a range of theme-based equipment covering themes such as safari and beach.

"Playground equipment now has become more versatile and complex than it ever used to be," notes Bill Rowe, general manager of landscape contractor Blakedown Landscapes, which offers playground installation as one of its services.

"When I was a child, it used to be just seesaws and swings, now you get these multi-purpose climbing frames that you can do just about anything on."

Safety comes first

A key aspect of playground design is, of course, safety. Clients always ask if equipment complies with the European EN1176 and EN1177 standards, say suppliers.

These cover a number of issues including the correct spacing of equipment, and suitable surfaces in relation to the height of the equipment.

Selection of surfaces is particularly important, says Rowe. "You have to be careful about safety surfaces," he warns. "The surface in the Middle East has to be much more resistant to temperature than in the UK."

The key criteria here is not so much the material as the 'bouncability' or lack of hard impact.

Zoning of playground equipment is also crucial , says Charawani. "You don't want to have one piece of equipment that is for seven plus next to another piece of equipment that is for the two to five age range," he says.

This is something that is currently done better in Europe than in the Middle East, he notes. "In Europe, they tend to have much zoning on the play areas so, for example, they will put all the under six play equipment on one side and the rest in another. That hasn't really caught on that much here."

Climate concerns

Because of the extreme temperatures in this region, safe playground design in the Middle East naturally also means making sure the equipment is suited to the local climate.

Choice of materials is key. Suppliers recommend that equipment made from wood rather than steel is the most suitable for use in the Middle East as it doesn't rust or corrode, while soft materials, such as recycled rubber, for example, are advised for surfacing of playground areas.

Shading is also essential. Parents can provide children with hats, but expect playgrounds to be covered.

Natural shading, however, is difficult to achieve partly because the trees in this region are not huge, but also because the required spacing between equipment doesn't always allow space for trees. Artificial shading, however, can be expensive.

"In schools, everything will be fully shaded, but in government parks, it is not feasible to do it," notes Charawani.

Sophisticated design might make playgrounds look more impressive but at the end of the day, it's functionality that is crucial. Inclusion of the basics such as provision of shading and using anti-heat materials that ensures that a playground is used and not just admired.