Challenge

Massey & Harris was approached by London-based design group Wayward following the successful completion of a previous project, Carlton playground in Camden.

The designers at Wayward provided their concept for a playground at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, a French co-educational primary and secondary independent day school, owned by the French Government.

The playground was to include stainless steel slides and a play structure using oak cubes.

The design of the cubes was challenging as they are angled away from each other and supported using 3 legs on each cube. The cubes are connected with rope bridges and have a large half round slide coming from one side.

Solution

The design team at Massey & Harris turned the concept into a reality, designing an effective construction method to ensure the cubes play unit had sufficient strength while maintaining the aesthetic of the original design.

A number of other bespoke play elements were also manufactured, including rails, a toast rack climber and two bespoke slides.

Result

The finished installation created a playscape that was quite unique and provides the children with an inspirational and super fun environment to play in. There are both defined and open areas of play that will allow the children to find their own way to play on their own and socially.

The equipment has been very successful, both in the final aesthetics and the play value provided, and the build quality on the site is extremely high and consistent throughout.