Oak Lodge Specialist Arts College provides a nurturing environment, tailored to individual students, meeting a range of special educational needs. We were invited, in early 2023, to provide a quotation to remove all of the existing trim trail and surfacing which had surpassed its life expectancy but also wasn’t quite what the school needed.
From our first outlook, we were shocked to find the surfacing in such a horrendous state, with layer upon layer having been laid on top of the other, over the years; predecessors just cutting corners to save money, unfortunately. There were huge undulations, holes and trip hazards; some of which had been repaired but were now also lifting at the edges. It was clear this all need removing, a new sub-base laid and to start a-fresh with new surfacing.
The school wished to create a peaceful area for walking and hanging out with friends, with seating and area’s of shelter. Combinations of various textured surfacing, with low level planters were proposed to create colourful edges, also providing some sensory stimulation, as the children and young adults like to relax during their break times.
During our initial visit, it also became clear that certain children had certain requirements during their break times to help them wind down. We worked very closely with the school to ensure we incorporated this into our proposed design, including regular walking routes as well as Den Poles, to be used by children who like to hold on to something! We even created a stage area with curved seating and a small mound to add some height for sitting.
The whole project took six weeks, with the equivalent of 10 large skips of rubber removed!
The children and staff were thrilled with their new recreational space, perfect for relaxing between lessons, having time out and chilling with friends.
