Case Details
Location
United Kingdom
Customer
Dartford Borough Council
Sector
age group
5+
user capacity
100+
Unique Robinia sea creatures, lighthouse, and pirate ship
The leader of Dartford Borough Council, Councilor Jeremy Kite MBE was the driver of this huge playground refurbishment project (one of the best and largest that KOMPAN UK has been involved in). Dartford wanted to work with the best playground manufacturers and designers to fulfil the dreams of the leader and create a unique and immersive playground that would benefit the children of the borough for years to come. We worked with the council from the offset to select an appropriate theme that would offer enough excitement as well as the ‘wow’ factor. A pirate theme was selected, and some key ‘wow’ play features were also identified to build the rest of the playground around and create the immersive experience that the leader had envisioned. The theme was then brought to life with incredible 2D and 3D sea creatures as well as pirate theming (such as the crocodiles waiting to snap at cableway users). Bespoke carved barrels, mermaid and parrots were dotted around the play area with several palm trees to ensure that the play area was the fully immersive experience that the leader wanted. The final outcome was an overwhelming success. Not only were we able to install well within the incredibly tight timescales, factoring in two bouts of snow and inclement weather, but we were also able to constantly adapt and add extra features as the project progressed when the customer required. The customer was incredibly pleased with the process and outcome, as were the many families and children that have used the play area since the opening. The customer is so pleased that they have authorised a further £1m investment across several other playgrounds in the borough and are trusting KOMPAN to deliver these.
“Our aspiration was to create something a bit like a theme park. Once we had our vision, we knew what we wanted, and we didn’t want to hang about, and what we’ve got here now is a really load of safe, good, individual play equipment, but it comes together for our kids to have a real bit of inspiration play and that’s what we really love about it. It is so popular. Working with KOMPAN was really easy and an absolute pleasure. What we are seeing now is that that people are saying let’s go to Buccaneer Bay, let’s go to Dartford, and so it’s bringing people in. So it really is a win win for us!”
Councillor Jeremy A Kite MBE
Inclusive Play
Equipment was chosen to complement the star pieces and provide stimulating and challenging activities for children of all ages and abilities to enjoy. A calm zone (or respite area) was created showcasing our sensory equipment whereby children with special sensory needs can retreat to if it gets too much for them or if they prefer to play on their own.
PHYSICAL
Games area to help elevate fitness, muscle and bone strength, motor skills and cognitive function.
Cognitive
Joy of learning: curiosity, understanding of causal relationships and knowledge of the world
SOCIAL - EMOTIONAL
A safe space to help children nurture their social skills through teamwork and provide a sense of belonging. Decreasing a Child's stress and increasing their joy while on holiday.
Creative
Joy of creating: co-creation and experimenting with materialsProducts in this solution
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