Ordnance House is a central hub of the military community providing service families with Welfare Support, Toddler Groups, and Family Fun Days. The centre has a large garden with old metal equipment which had come to the end of its life and they wanted to replace it with something more adventurous, that appealed to a wider age group. On our initial visit we discussed lots of different idea’s and with no spacial restrictions, we were able to explore many various possibilities. We discovered the most important things were: a scooter track for toddlers, imaginative play, accessible swings and a trim trail with a twist. Over the course of two weeks, we bounced idea’s back and forth with the client, to ensure we captured their idea’s, as they personally saw them.
The installation works started in June 2022 across two phases. The Buccaneer Pirate Ship, Mini Playhouse, Inclusive Swing Set and Wetpour Scooter Track were installed first, as part of phase 1. The old equipment had been installed with wetpour surfacing and our first job was to remove all of it to enlarge the base works for the new play unit. Our Buccaneer Pirate Ship would sit proudly on top of the old foundations. The proposal below shows the original design.
A few amendments were made in the weeks approaching installation; it was decided the swings should be joined together and the Pico Eagle’s location would move slightly, this meant there was more room left for free play. Phase 2 saw the installation of the Pico Eagle, Mini Mountain and the following Trim Trail items; Combo Crawl, Crag Walk, Log Weaver, Stepping Logs & Rope Weaver. The Play Area was complete and ready to be enjoyed by the play groups starting back in September after the holidays.
