Challenge

Trafford Council approached Massey & Harris with an idea for a Play Cube to be installed in a quayside park in Salford Quays. Various options were discussed, including stacked cubes and 45° tilted cubes with nets and slides as play features.

The Play Cube was intended to be the main play element of a larger development near the Imperial War Museum and MediaCity.

It needed to suit the quayside park environment, which included grassed areas with oak beams used for seating. The net was to be constructed in a single piece, so the challenge was to come up with a design that conformed to this specification and provided the internal play maze that had been requested.

Solution

Massey & Harris has the facilities to manufacture completely bespoke play equipment, alongside its extensive range of standard equipment. This sets the company apart from many others, and means that all manufacturing work is carried out in the UK.

The result in this case was a Play Cube structure made from 200mm square oak beams, tilted at 60 degrees to give the angle needed for a steep stainless steel slide (which was also manufactured by Massey & Harris). The net fitted perfectly and the overall effect was even better than the final renders.

Outcome

Massey & Harris delivered a truly unique play structure which would sit perfectly in the contemporary quayside park, whilst reflecting the quay’s industrial past.