by: Alexander Sundberg, Architect - MAA and Solution Design Manager, KOMPAN

Playground design: The new look of a reduced carbon footprint

two girls climbing om playground climbing bloqx

There is a pressing need to shift away from using virgin raw materials when designing playgrounds, towards new and more sustainable alternatives. But how do novel materials affect our possibilities of designing functional and aesthetic playgrounds? Our expert offers a perspective.

The new look of playgrounds

If you have children, chances are that you have visited a playground or two. Perhaps you have wondered how very different modern playgrounds look, compared to the playgrounds you remember from your childhood? Today’s playgrounds are not just bigger and bolder, but they are meticulously designed with careful attention to safety and landscape aesthetics, incorporating scientifically proven methods for stimulating and challenging children.

Depending on where you live, modern playgrounds are also often colourful and inviting, signifying the role of modern playgrounds as important communal spaces. But as we highlight in our article "The footprint of a playground", modern playgrounds are also highly dependent on virgin raw materials like plastic and aluminium. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop and shift to more environmentally friendly alternatives – and the solutions are already here.

Modern playgrounds are highly dependent on virgin raw materials like plastic and aluminium. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop and shift to more environmentally friendly alternatives – and the solutions are already here.

Full design freedom

The question now is: How will new alternative materials for playgrounds affect the look and design freedoms of modern playgrounds?

To put it bluntly: Will playgrounds become… well… boring?

We asked our expert, Alexander Sundberg, Architect MAA and Solution Design Manager at KOMPAN.

– Like many landscape architects, I’ve come to know and enjoy the possibilities and design freedoms of steel, aluminium and plastic. These materials are flexible, sturdy and durable, and their benefits have seemed impossible to replicate in other materials. But luckily, as our research and development work show, no material is irreplaceable – not even steel or plastic, says Alexander Sundberg.

想了解更多？下载环保游乐场杂志

"All materials can be replaced - even steel and plastic."

Alexander Sundberg, Architect MAA and Solution Design Manager, KOMPAN

新的替代品

As you can read in the article "Greener playgrounds: Where safety and durability meets saftey", KOMPAN’s development of greener material alternatives has resulted in several breakthroughs. Like TexMadeTM playground posts made from textile waste, which can effectively replace the need for many steel and aluminium posts. Furthermore, new plastic alternatives have been developed using post-consumer waste like outworn fishing nets or plastic from household waste.

Rigorous testing has shown that the new materials are at least as durable and flexible as their predecessors. But how do the new materials fare when it comes to colours and shapes?

Colours and shapes play a crucial role in creating visually appealing and unique playgrounds. Strategic use of these design elements can influence children’s play behaviour and preferences. Bright, saturated colours attract children aged two to five, while older kids are drawn to more natural and muted tones. Shapes also influence children’s movements within playgrounds, leading them on exciting adventures and explorations. The good news is that landscape architects have the same design freedom with the greener material alternatives.

“Design freedom and increased sustainability are not mutually exclusive; they go hand in hand. Our playground solutions can be as colourful as your heart desires – but with a dramatically reduced carbon footprint.”

Alexander Sundberg, Architect MAA and Solution Design Manager, KOMPAN

游乐场解决方案可以随心所欲，丰富多彩

– We want to show our customers that design freedom and increased sustainability are not mutually exclusive; they go hand in hand. So, our playground solutions can be as colourful as your heart desires – but with a dramatically reduced carbon footprint, explains Alexander Sundberg. He stresses that for many projects, wood-based playground solutions will also be an attractive option.

– We’re seeing a movement towards integrating playgrounds more seamlessly into landscape and nature. Here, our certified hardwood Robinia playground solutions are an excellent choice as they blend harmoniously with the surrounding landscapes, he says. Robinia-based playgrounds – like their counterparts made from recycled materials – have a naturally low carbon footprint, Alexander Sundberg ends.