Lambeth Play Pathfinder
Loughborough Park Play Project
The site is located in Loughborough Adventure Playground, part of Loughborough Park. The park also contains a playground, a multi-use games area and a one o’clock club
In the Adventure Playground there is a building for children/young people’s activities, and a hilltop clearing enclosed by a dense planted boundary. This boundary of trees and shrubbery conceals it from surrounding housing/back gardens. The open hilltop area contains a series of timber play structures.
Conservation Area
The park forms part of the Loughborough Park Conservation Area. As a newly created park (1972), it does not bear any architectural or townscape features
Design
The proposals have been developed In line with the guidance of the fair play and national play strategy (launched Dec 2008)
Initial Site Observations:
Layout
• the natural slop of the site is a great asset offering the potential for a number of play experiences
• The building lies at the base of the slop with a series of discrete play elements perched at some distance on the hill
• The play structures are composed as a series of isolated objects. Consequently, children tend to go and use a structure before then returning to the building, rather than moving between structures in a more narrative based play experience.
• Children tend to stay quite near the building, congregating around the sand pit or playing ball games on the hard surfacing.
Play
• The apg contains a rich collection of active play opportunities
• The two tyre swings were especially popular among children and the slides near the top of the hill make good use of the site’s natural slope
• The active play opportunities are further bolstered by the football pitch and basketball court in the games area next door.
• Several broken and unused pieces of play equipment remain on the site
• Providing some of the playground’s only creative play opportunities, the small sand pit located at the base of the hill near the building is very popular, especially among the younger children and girls.
The proposal aims to:
• form a playable element that connects the popular sand play area adjacent to the APG building with the hill and the timber play elements located there.
• broaden play opportunities from the physical active play offered currently to include more creative play
The proposal consists of:
• sand pit adjacent to the apg building
• pebble filled water collector
• ground level water rill
• embankment water slide
• a paved terrace on the hill with a water pump and shallow pebble filled water splash pool
• a timber deck constructed 1.5m above the hill level
The design is intended to augment the play opportunities that currently exist and to broaden the range and inclusivity of that play.
Willington Adventure Playground
The site is located in Willington Adventure Playground. Adjacent to the Adventure Playground is a multi-use games area.
In the Adventure Playground there is a building for children/young people’s activities, and an open space with ‘self-built’ timber play structures. Bisecting this playspace is a stretch of asphalt paved ‘roadway’, a legacy of the form use of the site as a through road with housing. The perimeter of the site is planted with trees/shrubs and a separately fenced section to the north of the site is densely planted with trees (occupying the land that was originally the gardents of no.’s 35 and 37 Willington Road.
Initial Site Observations
Layout
•Two shipping containers occupy part of the site where there was a sand pit. They contain the steel drum instruments of the Lambeth Youth Steel Band. Performances and lessons are regularly held for children in the playground, using the old Andalus Road as a space to practice.
• The positioning of the containers has however divided the timber self-built structures into two. Both staff and children have expressed an ambition for the structures to be reconnected.
• The slide is a popular play element for the younger children, but lacks integration with the surrounding timber structure.
• The pictnic table offers a valuable social space for children in the playground, as well as an opportunity to draw and do activities outdoors.
•The extent of the tree growth obscuring informal surveillance has been cited as a problem.
Play
• The apg contains a varied collection of active play opportunities
• The two tyre swings prove an extremely popular element of active play and a third swing, to the rear of the adventure playground, is currently in need of repair.
• The ‘den’ (see consultation report) provides opportunities for creative and social play. Popular among both girls and boys, many children asked for it to be expanded or made taller.
• The ‘buffer zone’ (son named by staff/children) is a wooded area to the north of the site, enclosed by a separate fence. It was highlighted as a favourite spot by the children. Concerns over tree root growth have resulted in the partial clearing of this very special natural play space.
The proposal aims to:
• build on existing but marginalised natural play opportunities, in particular the ‘den’ space
• introduce a narrative play space that can reframe the existing ‘roadway’ in a positive manner.
The proposal consists of the addition of two elements within the grounds of the adventure playground.
The wall and stage
The wall acts as a stage to the existing abandoned road, providing space to sit and perform. The space includes a wall mounted drinking fountain.
The garden and den
This involves the adaptation of an existing disused bin storage structure that lies on the boundary of the site with Willington Road. An existing concrete base with brick walls (up to 1m in height) is extended by means of a steel structure clad in timber wooden slats to form a canopy over.
Blackfriars Adventure Playground
The site is part of the Blackfriars Settlement. Access to the Adventure Playground is via the Community Building. Accessed from the Adventure Playground is a multi-use games area.
The playground is bounded by Coral Street to the south-west and Waterloo Road to the north-east.
The Playground consists of a number of proprietary play elements with play/safety surfacing throughout.
The proposal aims to:
• further develop and enrich an existing narrative play space
the proposed elements are:
• new paved flooring to stage area
• new raised open air stage area with timber proscenium arch over
• timber ‘fallen’ tree trunk
• new soft landscaping is proposed for the Waterloo Road boundary
The design is intended to augment the play opportunities that currently exist and to broaden the range and inclusivity of that play.
The proposal includes the following not currently offered opportunities:
• social play, creative/fantasy play.
