Challenge

Hand Made Places was tasked with turning a design brief set by pupils at Stroud Green Primary School in London into reality.

Their vision was for a tree house adventure playground with plenty of opportunity for active play, injecting fun into PE lessons, and inclusive features for all students to enjoy during lunch and break times.

To make the best use of the natural landscape, Key Stage 2 students wanted a playground which incorporated a tree house as a row of mature trees lines the perimeter of the school’s outside play area.

Work undertaken

Hand Made Places' project management team designed a playground which delivered added value with a variety of playground markings for traditional games such as Star Ball and Hopscotch.

Trim Trail equipment including Swing Steps, Wobble Bridge and Rota Log were installed to test and develop the older pupils’ agility and balance skills.

At the heart of the playground is a unique tree house, packed with activities. It includes a firefighter’s pole, scramble net, crawl tunnel and slide. Platforms create all the twists and turns needed for a game of tag or hide-and-seek while the areas around the trees lend themselves to natural hang-out spaces and lookout towers.

The playground development, which also included a Bird’s Nest climbing frame, was made possible thanks to fundraising by the Friends of Stroud Green Primary School Parent Teacher Association.

It was vital that as well as realising the children’s dreams, the playground delivered exceptional play value.

Hand Made Places' teams looked after the project from beginning to end, ensuring existing playground equipment was responsibly removed and an artificial grass safety surface was installed.