Ed Square Play

The Ed Square Playground is a bespoke, internal public playscape for 0-8 year olds.

Children have a sensory need to taste danger & excitement. This doesn’t mean encouraging dangerous play, more so to encourage the feeling that they are taking a risk. Now, more than ever, Children need to learn to negotiate risk which teaches them how to arrive at sound decisions. The Ed Square playground, at its core, allows for safe interaction & play whilst engaging in the conceptual story created around Australian native fauna & flora.

Through these concepts, we created a journey throughout the playscape where children can challenge & test themselves, encouraging them to try new things to discover what they can achieve.

There are 2 different zones – the first for the younger 0-4 age group and the second a more challenging & distinct play environment for 4-8+ year olds. The spaces are divided by a curved central spine in which 3 different grades of slides are incorporated to enable different grades of challenge for the children.

We had the opportunity to work with the vertical volume of the built form to create an immersive play experience by suspending the pods at dramatic heights that suspend above the passers by below. The pods suspend from the roof structure at varying levels, the highest being are 5 metres overhead. The children can climb up into the pods & then transfer between them through a series of rope tunnels, exiting by sliding down the large curved stainless steel slide. This not only creates a unique drawcard to the playscape but also reimagines the play experience for children – especially within shopping centre environments. The creation of the kaleidoscope room introduces an all inclusive play space suitable for children with disabilities to enjoy & experience.

It offers different play elements to suit the natural dynamics of the child, from quieter, sensory reflective play to more adventurous & challenging rope & rock climbing walls & slides.