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Contents
Play and Playground Magazine | Volume 16 No. 3 | Fall 2016
8
Features
Rope-Based Play Equipment
8
A New/Old Trend By Lukas Steinke
The Coming Age of Bespoke Play
14
By Jay Beckwith
Failed Products Lead to Failed Projects
18
Photo courtesy of Lukas Steinke
14
Standards are Just a Beginning By Rolf Huber
22
Children And The Importance Of Meeting Challenges, Overcoming Obstacles And Handling Risk In Play By Raymond Wills
28
Sunscreen for your Playground
A Significant Advance in Playground Maintenance By Thomas Siebert
Photo courtesy of Jay Beckwith
18
DEPARTMENTS 30 30
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CPSI Course Calendar Happening Today In Play
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A breath of fresh air.
Branch Out™ offers the appealing scale and activities of tree play in an efficient, open layout. It’s a solution to revitalize post-and-platform playgrounds while maintaining an aesthetic connection to the natural world. Inspired by nature. Designed for play. Playworld.com/Branch-Out.
Aaron Hamilton writes‌ Magazine Publisher Tate Schuldies
Editor Aaron Hamilton
Advertising Director Aaron Hamilton
Design Jake Amen
Accounting Ron Walker
Webmaster Jake Amen
Contributing Authors Jay Beckwith Rolf Huber Thomas Seibert Lukas Steinke Raymond Wills
History and Art Influences Today's Play Hello again to all our loyal readers and welcome newcomers to our equipment issue. After a long hot summer season, it is once again time for leaves to change colors and students to return to school for the new school year. We proudly present to you our 2016 Fall issue of Play and Playground Magazine. This Season we are focusing on playground equipment, and trends, both new and old. I’ve compiled a small, yet broad spectrum of articles related to the fundamentals of play and playgrounds from some of the most knowledgeable pros in the industry. Equipment is an important focus in a park or playground whether it's traditional, theme oriented or even bespoke play design. Proper and safe equipment is key to having fantastic lifelong memories during any playtime experience. The possibilities of park or playground design, when properly equipped are vast and go far beyond your parent's school playground from years past. Interesting historical references show how past equipment trends are rediscovered and improved upon, through new technology that greatly improves safe play time for our loved ones. Modern technology helps to improve not just safety, but the aesthetics with greatly enhanced, environmentally sound and highly durable materials. This season you will find out which trends are popular and their connections with times past. Some things have not changed, with a growing trend of adventure style playgrounds utilizing age old equipment made of wood and rope. We hope to bring the perspective of play throughout history, as a reminder of what is important today, and why you loved play time when you were young. As we reflect on the summer, we hope to entice some ideas for playgrounds and playspaces in your neck of the woods. Here at Play and Playground Magazine we urge you to be safe, play hard, have fun and make great memories.
Copyright, 2016 published by Playground Professionals, LLC, 4 issues per year, sub rates, back copies, foreign, reproduction prohibitions, all rights reserved, not responsible for content of ads and submitted materials, mail permits.
CORPORATE OFFICE Playground Professionals LLC P.O. Box 192 Saint Anthony, Idaho 83445
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Rope-Based Play Equipment…
A New/Old Trend by Lukas Steinke
Movement is fascinating for children. It is always exciting and engaging to bounce, jump, spin, swing or see-saw. This is the reason children – and even adults – have so much fun on rope-based play equipment. Rope is not dead material. Instead it is flexible and enables a child to ‘connect’ with the equipment, as every action is followed
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by a reaction. Rope is a play ‘partner’ and there is always a dialog between the child playing and the structure. While rope-based play equipment may seem relatively new, it actually started in the 1950s, thus making it an ‘old’ concept that has seen a resurgence in the last couple of decades.
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The invention of rope play equipment.
Joe Brown (top) and his play community rope designs (bottom).
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The invention of rope-based play is attributed to a 1930s former boxer by the name of Joseph Brown. Born in 1909, the son of Russian immigrants in Philadelphia, Joe attended Temple University where he studied physical education; however, he left the university to become a professional boxer. Joe returned to complete his studies in 1931 after suffering an injury. He then spent six years as a sculptor before being hired to train boxers at Princeton University. Joe recognized that movement through sport and play was important for the development of young people. He turned his attention to play equipment for the first time in 1950. Many experts believe his designs to have been revolutionary. He developed what he termed play communities, which drew attention for their play function. Joe installed a number of prototypes in Philadelphia and outside the United States; however, there was no mass production of his designs since he did not have the manufacturing ca-
pacity. The inability to mass produce stalled the concept in the ‘50s and ‘60s from taking off. Joe derived his play concept for rope play equipment from a classic boxing ring. He also created the first designs for today’s very popular high rope gardens. He attempted but failed to find a licensee so he implemented individual special projects instead. In 1971, Berliner Seilfabrik, who manufactured steel cables for elevators, picked up the rope-based play concept. While Joe Brown started with a loose rope structure modeled after a boxing ring design, Berliner used one of the 5 Platonic solids, also called regular polyhedrons, to make the design very solid. Using this concept, Berliner designed and mass produced the first net climber, starting the whole rope-based play industry on a commercial basis.
Why Rope-Based Play Equipment?
On a daily basis, children need to develop social and cognitive skills along with fine and gross motor skills, and the playground offers an ideal
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What is rope?
In rope-based play equipment, ‘rope’ as used for commercial play equipment refers to a galvanized steel cable wrapped in a polyester yarn. Steel cable was invented in the 1830s, and the first net structures developed for playful climbing equipment were created in Germany in the early 1970s. Rope used for net play structures can be a broad range of diameters. Typically, most ropes in reach of hands have a course surface texture which provides an optimal grip.
environment in which to do so. Ropebased play, those 3-dimensional spatial net structures, are more engaging and physically challenging for children than traditional play equipment for several reasons. Material. One big difference between rope play structures and traditional is the material itself. A well-designed net structure is responsive, giving children an additional interaction with the material as the steel inside the ‘rope’ makes it behave differently. The net structure bounces back, engaging children on a different, more in-depth level than just climbing stairs and sliding down a slide. Design. Rope play structures are a different design concept. Most traditional structures have specific entry and exit points (i.e., stairs in one area and a slide in another area). In addition, they tend to limit a child’s movement or how a child uses the structure. A 3-dimen-
sional net climber gives children a structure that allows for open play – allowing the child to decide how to play on the equipment, which angle to enter or exit from, how to progress throughout the structure and more. Endless Play Options. With the 3-dimensional design, the climbing and playing options are endless. Even if a child wanted to repeat the way he or she climbed the day before, he or she probably couldn’t. A child has to figure out each time how to get to the top or move from one corner to the other, making decisions on when to take the next step or which rope to grab. Increased Socialization. Traditional play equipment tends to be wide-spread and closer to the ground. It separates children in their play behavior; for instance, one child may be using a slide while another is using a climbing component. The 3-dimensional net structures offer a more compact design without these same barriers separating the children. As they play, children can get close to each other allowing for social interaction and communication. Even if a child stops playing while on the structure, he or she can still sit and talk to the others on the structure. Rope-based play structures bring children as well as adults together. Berliner products, like the Pegasus, are true multigenerational play structures. Because of its height, the Pegasus, while classified for ages 5 to 12, offers a large enough space inside the net for both children and adults, something not offered by many traditional playground solutions. This interactive play keeps children engaged.
Today’s Trends with Rope-Based Play Equipment Connecting Traditional and Non-Traditional Play
The complexity of net structures, such as the Pegasus, offers children (and adults) endless options to climb through the ropes. Lea McKeighan Playground, Lee’s Summit, MO. 10 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE FALL 2016
On the playground today, one of the trends you see is the idea of connecting traditional and non-traditional playground equipment. For instance, in the 3D rendering on the next page, one of the main elements on the playground is a rope-based structure connected physically using a bridge. www.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
Rope-based structures can also be connected by play functionality, where the children jump from one stepping form to another, to reach the more traditional play structure. This combination of traditional and non-traditional play equipment can often provide a community with the needed playground equipment familiarity combined with something new and exciting; a combination that offers kids more fun and more play value.
es social interaction and more benefits, such as: • psychomotor development • sense of balance • skills to react • body strength • sense of achievement • self-confidence The difference between 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional is a very important consideration when choosing your equipment.
3-Dimensional vs. 2-Dimensional
Includes All Children, All Abilities
Two-dimensional structures offer ‘paths’ for a child to climb vertically, horizontally, or possibly across on a bridge or ‘link.’ Although the 2-dimensional ropes add to the play experience, they can fall short of the benefits 3-dimensional structures provide. Three-dimensional rope structures come in all shapes and sizes and are commonly referred to as ‘space nets’ and ‘net climbers.’ Structures can be quite tall, or closer to the ground and full of low course challenges, or a mix of both. A properly designed, true 3-dimensional net climber encourages a sense of agility, achievement and power in a playful environment. There are no prescribed entry points. There are no specific paths to be followed as are found on more traditional and 2-dimensional rope play structures. Children playing on a 3-dimensional structure are empowered to make decisions. The open environment encouragwww.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
Rope structures can actually be more inclusive than what we refer to as a traditional inclusive playground. The degree of inclusivity is different when using rope-based play structures. Most of the net structures are considered ground level components, meaning a child with a disability can enter or exit off the ground without the need for
As you can see, a net structure is very easily accessed by a child in a wheelchair. She is able to interact with the structure to the degree her disability allows. That’s what accessibility is all about.
The open design of the net structures enables children to easily communicate with each other while playing. Valley Park, Grandview, MO.
a ramp or transfer system because the structures are so close to the ground. Net structures provide an experience, a play value for children with or without disabilities. Many playgrounds include play structures that focus on children with disabilities only, neglecting over 90% of children who have no disability. It can be challenging to design a playground that includes everyone, one that has a certain degree of challenge and excitement in the product to keep all engaged. Rope-based play equipment meets that challenge. • Cognitive disabilities, which make up more than 50% of all disabilities, are served by designs like the net structures helping to develop critical thinking skills, such as decisionmaking and problem-solving. • Children with sensory issues gain play value from the interaction of rope and the feel of its’ coarseness. • Rope-based play enables children to play together without barriers, furthering the needs of those with social or communication disabilities. • Incorporating hammocks into the design enables children with strong physical impairments the opportunity to participate in the action. • Another strength of this type of equipment lies in the motor chal-
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Innovations in Technology and Design
Open design of net structures. Curé of Ars, Leawood, KS.
lenge that they pose. For instance, children with ADD or ADHD benefit from the need to concentrate on their movements. At the same time, they can burn off a lot of their overwhelming energy by using their whole body. • Children with hearing impairments can move across the different levels while maintaining eye contact with the other children or their caregivers outside the equipment. The transparency of the rope playground equipment enables them to use sign language when playing and not feel obliged to speak to draw attention to themselves. • Net structures provide a play space that brings together the different languages of the deaf and hearing, enabling them to experience their possibilities and their limits in common play, encourages understanding and acceptance of one another. • For children with a visual impairment, a low rope climbing course in which the individual climbing elements are connected, or a play net, could mean a new play experience altogether. They can climb close to the ground or in a space secured by net mesh without fear, leading to experiment and mastering greater
challenges. • If a child with limited mobility does not have the strength to get on the structure, he or she at a minimum can hold the rope and feel its movement. There is no opportunity to do this with traditional play equipment. And, children without any disability can experience all of this, too.
There are constant innovations in technology and design with rope-based play equipment. Technological Innovations. For the first time in history, with the Joe Brown series of equipment, Berliner combined physical and mental benefits to a well-designed net climber using natural materials on the outside. On the inside, high end technology offers durable, easily maintained equipment. Another of Berliner’s innovations includes a patented cloverleaf connection that allows the replacement of a single cable vs. the entire net structure, which can be done on-site making repairs much more cost effective. Design Innovations Keep Children Safe. Height is often a concern on the playground, especially from a safety perspective yet we are seeing taller and taller structures. Rope-based play structures are designed to give a child a thrill, enticing them to come back and actively play on the structures but at the same time be very safe. Rope-based play structures are no riskier than other structures; in fact, all of Berliner structures installed over the past 45 years, even the 30’ tall ones, still have unchallenged safety records.
Availability and Affordability
Rope-based play has been around since the 1970s in Europe, particularly
Rope play structure provides a bridge close to the ground suitable for younger children.
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in Germany. In the U.S., it was seen to be more of a luxury item for prestigious locations. In 2008, Berliner established a U.S. headquarters positioning itself as a manufacturer of rope-based play equipment. This has led to improved customer support, increased distribution and lowered pricing. Rope-based play equipment is now a more affordable alternative for many schools, parks and cities with smaller, more limited budgets. We also are seeing more rope on the playground as other manufacturers adopt the concept, more open playground designs are developed and the use of more deckless systems. Traditional manufacturers who used to do post and deck only are now mixing and matching traditional play equipment with rope-based play equipment. Larger manufacturers are now also buying high quality products from Berliner Seilfabrik, a trend which has improved the perception of rope-based play equipment from a compliance, durability and safety perception. With these manufacturers promoting the concept more, it has generated a following and motivated more architects, landscape architects, park and school planners to consider the concept. The rope play equipment originally invented by Joe Brown remains as popular as ever, and continues to provide a lot of fun for children in playgrounds as well as having an educational effect.
With Twist you’re always on the right side. info@berliner-playequipment.com Toll free: +1.877.837.3676
LUKAS STEINKE, CEO BERLINER SEILFABRIK PLAY EQUIPMENT CORPORATION In 2009, Lukas moved to Greenville, SC to establish Berliner’s North-American headquarters. As the subsidiary’s CEO, he is in charge of all aspects of the company’s operations in the U.S. and brings 13 years of experience in ropebased playground equipment to the company. www.berliner-playequipment.com www.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
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The Coming Age of
Bespoke Play by Jay Beckwith
Most people think that art is something that sits on a pedestal or hangs on a wall and, up until recent history, that was largely true. Art before the 18th century was generally devoted to commemorating significant people, battles or ideals. Personal expression by artists was essentially unheard of.
My, how times have changed.
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ART AND PUBLIC SPACES have always had a very close association. One could make the case that such a connection goes all the back to cave painting. As America began to grow as a nation, the Commons, or public squares in its towns, generally typically contained commemorative statues. This practice of park statuary was routine until park designers such as the pioneering Frederick Law Olmsted and John McLaren ushered in the “naturalist” ideals that rejected the traditional formal garden in favor of a pastoral approach. These ideals embraced a humanistic philosophy which eschewed the practice of elevating individuals over the common man. While parks were undergoing this change, so was the world of art. The transformation began with the Impressionistic art movement, which promoted the idea that the vision of the artist was as significant or even more important than the subject. This period was quickly followed by Dadaism, which blew away the notion that art was confined to pedestals or walls. For the Dadaist, art needed to engage the viewer, often in shocking ways. Coinciding with these trends was the idea that children needed to play to be healthy. This brought about the development of sandboxes and exercise apparatus and ultimately in specially designed play spaces. Even the naturalist park designers often included playgrounds while prohibiting commemorawww.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
tive sculptures. In effect, playgrounds became the surrogate for public art and thus the marriage of playgrounds and parks was formed.
"To be a bespoke playspace also means much more than just handmade." The Sculptor’s Dilemma
Artists and the general public have very different views of what art actually is. When asked to define art, the typical person will list painting, sculpture, music, dance and drama. The artist will have a simpler view. In the view of the artist, art is what an artist does and painting or other work is merely the end product of the artistic process. These days sculptors have a special challenge in that their work is hard to reproduce. Yes, castings can sometimes be made, but most modern sculpture
does not take shapes that are moldable. Traditionally sculptors make complex objects one at a time and, until the advent of 3D printing, did not have access to digital reproduction of individual works. This means that artists who work in solid forms and who want to see their work in many places need tools of mass production like rotational molding, robotic welding, etc. When a sculptor chooses to go to mass production, it turns out that this can be a deal with the devil in that mass production of art, especially play sculptures, can easily lose the key ability to be in harmony with their environment. In addition, they become so commoditized that they soon lose both artistic and play value. The economics of production and distribution are so powerful that this standardization and the resultant stagnation are inevitable. This factor perhaps explains some of the current discontent with mainstream play systems that, having become ubiquitous, no longer fulfill the expectation that objects in public spaces should rise above the commonplace and indeed should have artistic merit. This may be about to change.
An Artistic Explosion
To understand play sculpture from the historical context and to get a sense of current trends navigate over to Paige John’s fabulous website, Play-scape.com, and go to the section on play sculpture. This makes the case that artists (and I
FALL 2016 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE 15
include architects in this group) have a long tradition of creating play spaces. Visitors to this site will also see that in recent years there has been an uptick in commissions of playful and interactive sculptures in playground projects. Paige often uses the term “bespoke” to highlight the special quality of artistcreated playspaces. In America, rather than use the term bespoke, we tend to say “custom”, as in custom car for example. The British use the word “bespoke” especially in creating very traditional and personal clothing and furniture; this tends to imbue the term with a sense of history. As such I think it is a most appropriate term to use for playspaces since play is older than mankind itself. To be a bespoke playspace also means much more than just handmade. It also connotes that the creator brings an elevated level of craftsmanship and has the ability to relate the product to its environment. Play has recently been the subject of several major exhibitions. With the rise
in popularity of children’s museums, zoos, and other similar venues, there are now enough sites that a play artist can anticipate a steady flow of commissions. An example of this trend is the environmental crocheted pieces of Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam. Being able to work in a controlled setting, MacAdam and other play artists can freely express their visions and create monumental works that are impossible in free access public parks. Increasingly, major destination playspaces are fenced and some even have staffing which in turn creates the possibility for bespoke play designs in these more traditional playspaces. Wood as a playground material is making a comeback and, as is often the case, the European community is leading the way. Perhaps the best example of this is the Danish firm Monstrum whose creative vision and heart for children’s play seems limitless. Another group working largely in wood is Kukuk in Germany, a firm that seems to have the goal of evoking nature to the greatest
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extent possible. Similar themes can be found in the work of EarthScape out of Canada. The work of Scientific Art Studios in Richmond California, as installed at the San Francisco Zoo and elsewhere, is a great example of artistic playspaces using innovative materials. Ron Holthuysen and his team have invented technologies that not only allow for a wide range of creative expression but also have the durability expected for public installations. As digital technology continues to evolve, it is being used more and more as an artist’s tool. Dan Christensen at UPI Parks uses a gigantic 3D computer controlled router to make molds that can produce limited edition sculptures that would be prohibitively expensive without digital casting technology that he and his team have developed. 3D printers already exist that can print a whole house and once these massive printers become tractor mounted for easy relocation, we will begin to see www.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
product utilizes much of the existing manufacturing capabilities of Playworld Systems. This allows them to employ their infrastructure in new ways and preparing the company to generate a new market without massive investment. Such thinking and courageous corporate behavior is all too rare and deserves recognition and support.
The future belongs to bespoke Clearly, there is a growing demand for new types of play and playspaces. It remains to be seen if established play equipment producers can adapt their operations to fulfill this market. It may also be that new companies will emerge that build their business model from the ground up to be the next generation of playspace providers. Most likely we will see both types but regardless of the method of creation, one thing is certain - the future belongs to bespoke playspaces.
them used for on-site creation of playspaces as well.
The Challenge for the American Manufacturers
America is the powerhouse of products and we are a leader the world in manufacturing capacity. High volume may be great for cars and washing machines but it has led to a real problem for playgrounds. The manufacturers have created incredibly efficient factories to produce a standardized product. Now that the public has begun to tire of the “same old, same old,” producers need to introduce new products that match the current hot trends and create playgrounds that use natural materials or are otherwise unique. Unfortunately, those trends do not lend themselves well to the existing production resources and entirely new capabilities are needed to keep pace with a changing market. Making this investment will be challenging economically as well as requiring new marketing and distribution systems. www.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
American producers that seek to reimagine playground systems can look to the example of the pioneering effort by Kompan with its introduction some years ago of the Galaxy range of products. The Galaxy system was a radical breakthrough that has both extremely high play value and strong sculptural merit. To create this innovation required a complete departure from their core products and a whole new production capacity. Not every company has the resources to follow Kompan’s blank sheet approach. For many producers, the challenge is not just to design for the emerging bespoke market but to also reemploy as much of their existing production capacity as possible. For a stellar example of how to tackle this challenge, consider the new PlayForm 7 from Playworld Systems. Clearly, PlayForm 7 stands on its own merit both as sculpture and as a play setting but it’s true genius and most impressive accomplishment is that the
JAY BECKWITH
• Began designing play environments in 1970. • Has written several books on designing and building play equipment. • Is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector. • Has written publications and developed programs for playground safety. • Has consulted with playground manufacturers in their design process. • Writes a blog at playgroundguru.org. • Completed a comprehensive upgrade of the Gymboree Play and Music apparatus. • Currently developing location based mobile games with the goal of using smartphones in outdoor play. Read more by Jay Beckwith at
playgroundprofessionals.com
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FAILED PRODUCTS LEAD TO FAILED PROJECTS Standards are Just a Beginning by Rolf Huber
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PLAYGROUND PROJECTS FAIL when the products within the playground fail, costing owners thousands of dollars they do not have. They are then faced with the hard choices of finding the money for replacement or running the risk of having an injury and inevitable lawsuit or an ADA complaint. The usual culprit is failure to understand and use standards appropriately at the time of specification, installation, inspection and warranty compliance. Although all standards set minimum performance and generally protect manufacturers, some standards contain golden nuggets of protection for owners. The key is finding them. In the United States, the two most widely used Standards are American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and International Standards Organization (ISO). Most of us are familiar with those developed under the rules and procedures of ASTM International. Less familiar are the standards from the ISO. ISO has not written many standards specific to sport, athletics, play structures or play and recreation surfaces, but have established guides such as Guide 50 and the TR20183 Technical Report on Definitions and Injury Thresholds that connect to this type of work. Interestingly ASTM standards are viewed as “industry standards” and therefore some consider them tainted, as being minimums as to what industry is prepared to do rather than being in the interest of the user of a product or surfacing system. This is not necessarily the fault of the manufacturers working in a competitive world, but rather the failure on the part of users, specifiers, risk managers, and consumers to actively participate and advance their interests. ISO standards, on the other hand, are seen as being written by standards organizations with less vested interest in the outcomes and therefore might be more representative of consumer and user needs and injury prevention. ASTM publishes standards on the consensus basis. An overview of these standards can be seen at http://www. astm.org/ABOUT/overview.html. On the face of it, there is a gathering of experts and interested parties for a parwww.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
ticular subject matter, but the truth might not be as simple. Generally, each standards group is made up of a maximum of 50% manufacturers, with the remaining 50% made up of general interest, consumers, regulators, etc. Voting on new or changes to standards is by the whole group, and advancement initially requires 50% plus 1 vote. Changes or improvements to standards can also force significantly greater level of approval. First is the ballot voting process where as few as 10.1% of the voters voting negative on a ballot in a committee can cause a ballot to fail and kill or delay the change. The frustrating and problematic part of the ballot process is that a negative does not have to have technical merit. Statements such as, “This change is likely to hurt my business,” or “I don’t like it,” must be taken seriously and considered as valid. Since negatives are generally dealt with during a face-to-face meeting with limited time, an overabundance of negatives will take a meeting beyond the time deadline. Other negative voters take to writing multi-paragraph statements with the problem that each paragraph requires meeting time. Effectively, when time runs out, the ballot dies as well. Unfortunately, this has become an overused tactic of those looking to stall or stop changes for the betterment of the injury protection of the user or quality and durability of a product for the owner and user. If the sponsor of a standard is willing to persevere or accept changes, reducing the quality of the standard, it just might see the light of day. Then a standard or a change to an existing standard is published. The democratic ASTM process has merit in gathering diverse knowledge and science, but what can go wrong within the ASTM open and democratic process? First, the bar of entry is very low, costing $75 per year and no technical competency in the subject matter is required. Second, the manufacturers will have a vested financial interest in having a standard that does not increase cost or complicate manufacturing, delivery of products nor increase their liability for negligence or warranties. Third, individuals or organizations that distribute, test or install products may qualify as
non-redundant voting interest, joining with the purpose of forming a voting block to advance an idea, or more likely, stop a change. The democratic process, although open and transparent, lends itself to the abuse of the filibuster. A block of 33% of the voters can usually defeat a change, particularly when negatives are dealt with at meetings that are often poorly attended. It is for this reason that ASTM has the option of working within the entire committee and subcommittee to get the balance and view of the whole group rather than just the few who have the time or financial resources to travel to meetings. This last option is rare because of the time required and the need to write lengthy rationales. ISO operates on the international level and works under the requirements of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and operates on the basis of country-tocountry interaction. Under ISO, similar to ASTM, there are topic committees for products and services. Normally once a standard is written, it becomes the standard of use and adopted in all countries. The exception is that when there is a national standard that is more stringent, the national standard will take precedence. There are also cases where a sector is regulated or a standard is mandated by a government authority, such as compliance to ASTM F1292 on the accessible routes in the DOJ 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. ISO is likely to remain outside the domain of sport and recreation surfaces as many international sports bodies around the
ASTM Vo te To day
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world either have their own standards and regulations or refer to national standards. It would take a concerted effort on behalf of a number of nations to change this. So why talk about ISO if there are no specific performance-based standards in play structures or play and sport surfacing? The presence in the world of the ISO documents mentioned above, Guide 50 and TR20183, lend the specifiers, owner/operators, and users considerable options to invoke international language that provides better protection in some instances than do the performance based ASTM standards. Using a combination of the ISO and ASTM judiciously will be of tremendous help. The Technical Report from TC83 on Definitions and Injury Thresholds has as part of its scope the following: There shall be the utmost safe construction, production, and maintenance covering a reasonable foreseeable misuse / intended use evaluated by the manufacturer. Any areas of risk have to be defined and precautions need to be taken. Nevertheless, the use of the equipment or activities with this equipment on sports or playgrounds will create a residual risk related to the individual user. This has to be evaluated by a risk assessment and reduced to an acceptable or tolerable risk of performance. The result of this evaluation may deviate by age and social grouping. This ISO document goes on to discuss hazards, injury severity, and other factors involved in product and services and injury prevention. There is a clear responsibility on the part of the designer and manufacturer to fully understand their products and any hazards that might be presented to users. They should state that hazards are not apparent during anticipated or designed use, but hazards are apparent with reasonable foreseeable misuse and these hazards must be removed. This Technical Report will also act as guidance for standards writers in
their deliberations and should result in more protective performance requirements. This document was written through international agreement with the goal to harmonize language and scopes while leaving certain national standards such as playgrounds in place rather than moved to the ISO level. This would allow for the unique cultural aspects and injury concerns with regard to children’s play to remain within the national realm. This is good news for manufacturers and owner/operators as they remain in control of their own standards, provided they understand the technical requirements and how to take advantage depending on their needs. Owner/operators need to understand that when they build a public-use playground they have certain specific obligations beyond building a fun, challenging space, whether using factorymanufactured or natural elements. Although budgets have a lot to do with choices, compliance for the life of the playground to the ADA, the CPSC Handbook on Public Playground Safety, ASTM F1292, F1951 and F1487, and in some cases, State Health and Safety Codes and more stringent accessibility requirements do not consider a lack of budget. Sometimes it is owners who do not understand that playgrounds and protective surfacing are dynamic outdoor environments that, by their natures, will get worse rather than better over time. Installing to the bare minimums of the standards invites failure, injury and costly replacements or lawsuits. For playground owners, referencing standards can help; however many standards have major inadequacies in the way they protect the supplier, but still hold the owner responsible. Examples of these are: • ASTM F1292 section 4.4.2 states, “When an installed playground surface is tested in accordance with this section, if the impact test scores at any tested location in the use zone of a play structure do not
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meet the performance criterion, bring the surface into compliance with the requirements of this specification or the play structure shall not be permitted to be used until the playground surface complies.” This places the owner on notice that when a failure occurs the total cost and burden of repair or replacement is on them unless they have written a longterm, performance-based warranty into their contract. • ASTM F1292 section 4.4.1 states, “When an installed playground surface is tested in accordance with the requirements of Sections 16 – 19 at the reference drop height, the surface performance parameters at every tested location in the use zone shall meet the performance criteria of this specification. The reference drop height shall be the greater of (1) the height specified by the owner/operator prior to purchase, (2) the critical fall height specified when the playground surface was installed, (3) the equipment fall height, or (4) the critical height of the surface at the time of installation.” This states there are clear performance limits, but owners and their consultants can use this section to select higher drop heights than the fall height. This can include consideration of where a child might fall and stipulate a height based on a physical measure or by description of a play component such as the tops of guardrails or barriers. This also is what makes the requirement of the CPSC handbook to test from the highest play component in the playground compliant with ASTM F1292. This section works very well with what most purchasers know as the IPEMA certificate. An owner may specify a certain IPEMA certified surface and then perform the testing from that height. Failure to take advantage of this section only places the owner in jeopardy of premature failure. www.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
• ASTM F1292 section 4.4.3 states, “The specifier is permitted to specify additional impact attenuation performance requirements, providing that such additional performance requirements are more stringent than the performance requirements of this specification.” Since the standard requires that the performance of the surface shall never exceed 200g or 1000 HIC, it is foolish to allow the surface at the time of installation to just meet this requirement as a failure will be expensive, requiring repair or replacement. Interestingly it is the surfaces that cost the most that rarely can be repaired and will require replacement in whole or in part. • ASTM F1487 section 7.1.1 states, “Accessible routes within a use zone shall conform to the performance requirements of Specifications F1292 and F1951.” • ASTM F1487 section 9.1.1 states, “There shall be a use zone for each play structure which shall consist of obstacle-free surfacing that conforms to Specification F1292 appropriate for the fall height of the equipment.” • ASTM F1487 section 11.2.2 states, “The owner/operator shall install protective surfacing within the use zone of each play structure in accordance with Specification F1292 appropriate for the fall height of each structure and Specification F1951 where applicable.” • ASTM F1487 section 13.2.1 states, “The owner/operator shall maintain the protective surfacing within the use zone of each play structure in accordance with Specification F1292 appropriate for the fall height of each structure and Specification F1951 where applicable.” Most playground owners have adopted compliance with ASTM F1487 as a matter of normal practice. They have likely even sent staff once or multiple times to take the CPSI course. Unfortuwww.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
nately, this training is not comprehensive on ASTM F1292 and is generally after the fact, with most practitioners learning what has likely gone wrong after the playground is installed. Many owners require that their contractors are certified CPSIs, but again, they rarely have any influence on the choice of surfacing or can change the decisions that have been made. This begs the question, why are owners consultants and landscape architects not required to be certified CPSIs or to have taken a course related to the performance of surfacing? These professions are the gatekeepers for injury prevention and preservers of the public purse, avoiding the need for a significant replacement or a loss in a lawsuit. Success of a playground project is the work of many groups and professionals, but can only work with a collaborative effort or the acceptance of responsibility of all players. Remember that standards set the drop-dead minimum and when any part of the playground project fails, the entire playground fails. Then the owner will suffer considerable cost.
Maintaining your parks and playgrounds just got a lot easier.
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ROLF HUBER
Rolf Huber is the founder of the Canadian Playground Advisory, Inc., and has been involved in the manufacture and installation of athletic and playground surfaces since 1981. Since the early 1990s, Rolf has worked to set standards for surfacing in both the ASTM International and the Canadian Standards Association. www.playgroundadvisory.com Read more by Rolf Huber at
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FALL 2016 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE 21
Children
And The Importance Of Meeting Challenges, Overcoming Obstacles And Handling Risk In Play by Raymond Willis
Playgrounds must provide a safe environment where each child can grow in confidence, self esteem, and abilities. History tells us that children have always played from time immemorial in ancient Greek, Renaissance, and Biblical cultures. These are well documented: 22 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE FALL 2016
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As early as the 5th Century B.C., Greek artists created vase paintings that captured children swinging on swings, according to www.kidscreations.com. "Children's Games," by 16th century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, shows over 200 children playing at least 80 different games including horse racing, leapfrog, tug-of-war, horsey play, spinning tops, balancing on barrels, knucklebones, dress-up games, playing musical instruments, and blowing bubbles. The Dorset visionary poet, William Barnes, highlighted the importance of play and foretold the future dangers possible from the loss of the child’s world of play in this extract from an early 19th century poem, The Leane:
The children will soon have no place For to play in and if they do grow, They will have a thin mushroom face With’ their bodies so supple as dough. But a man is made of a child, And his limbs do grow work some by play And if the young child’s little body’s a-spoiled, Why, the man’s will the sooner decay. But the greens be a-grudged, for to rear Our young children up healthy and sound, Why there will not be left in the next age A green spot where their feet can go free;
"And the streets were full of children playing thereof." Zechariah 8:5
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FALL 2016 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE 23
Unsupervised commercial playgrounds were first created in the UK by Charles Wicksteed. His factory was in the process of removing some surplus central heating pipes and these were left out overnight as a treat for local children to play with the following day. The children created play equipment out of these items making swings, slides, and seesaws out of the metal poles, chains and planks. Wicksteed was amazed by what he witnessed and saw the commercial possibilities. Consequently, the children's playgrounds he later designed became the forerunner of those of today. In 1939, following the evacuations of London's children from the city prior to the Blitz of the second world war, no one thought that they'd be bored with the countryside. Missing their communities, many of them made their own way home, two to three thousand returning weekly. They joined thousands of children who had remained there, considered too disruptive to be evacuated. By the time the German bombers started their bombing of the city, thousands of these children were there in the midst of it all. With schools closed, fathers in the forces, mothers at work, groups of children spent their days on the streets in undisciplined and unsupervised play. Yet within these groups, there was an inner self-discipline. They created playgrounds and dens using salvaged timber
from the rubble left from the attacks. As the bombs fell all around them, they seemed to be totally oblivious to all of the dangers and risks. Many shared their treasures of timber and artifacts with their peers. There were national concerns over these children at the time; the public believing that they would suffer from trauma with the effects of the bombing. This led to Marie Paneths employment with the Branch street project. Marie believed play had a healing effect if children could create their own playgrounds where so much damage occurred. She advocated junk playgrounds with supervision and, eventually, she ran a junk playground children built out of salvaged materials. One group of the many city bomb site children was led by a youth named Patsy Duggan. Patsy's gang was nicknamed the ‘Dead End Kids.’ Soon they became unofficial fire fighters, with their tools, buckets of sand, rope, and axes. They assisted other rescue service workers, pulling people from burning buildings. However, despite the risks, they were never appeared traumatised. In Copenhagen, Carl Theodor Sorensen, who was Emdrup’s planner of orthodox playgrounds, had observed children illegally playing on the nearby dangerous building sites. They were taking full advantage of the endless play
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possibilities which these sites offered, with all their building materials of sand, gravel, water, cement, bricks and tools. As a result, Sorenson suggested experimenting with these so-called junk playgrounds, later incorporating them into the Danish housing associations parks. This experiment started the junk playground phenomena which was to have a profound effect on play provision throughout Europe in future years. At Sorenson's Emdrup playground there were only bricks, boards, timber posts, planks, saws, and hammers. Hundreds of children dug, played with sand, water or fire. Here they built houses with hinged doors and locks, decorating them with flowers, tables, chairs and kitchen items, all under the watchful eyes of the German soldiers of occupation. While travelling from England to lecture in Norway in 1946, Marjorie
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Allen's plane stopped in Copenhagen. She visited the Emdrup junk playground and was swept off her feet by what she saw. In a flash of understanding, she realized that she was looking at something new and full of possibilities. Later she published an article in the popular Picture Post magazine which highlighted the Emdrup junk playground and brought the subject to the attention of the general public. After the war the cities were full of bombed sites. Hordes of children swarmed over them, using all the materials available, like bricks, timber, metal, tools and equipment, creating junk playgrounds. These ‘playgrounds’ also were full of hidden dangers, from jagged metal to unexploded bombs. Some children fought over these spoils of war and were seen by the public as juvenile delinquents. A.S. Neil, of Summerhill’s free school, wrote a letter to the London Times on the matter of juvenile delinquency. His letter was swiftly responded to by Marjorie Allen and was a catalyst for her adventure
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playgrounds campaign. She believed that town planners expensive mechanical playgrounds built on asphalt and concrete were not a children’s paradise as they claimed. She felt that swinging backwards and forwards on swings were of utter boredom to children; it was little wonder they much preferred playing on bomb sites. These adventure junk playgrounds with supervision were seen as an answer to delinquency and to offset the high rate of accidents and casualties of children affected by the hostile busy and growing traffic. With so many dangerous roads, many children were now becoming imprisoned in their local communities, unable to cross the busy roads and with nowhere to play safely. A campaign steering committee was hurriedly formed which included, amongst others, the National Playing Fields Associations consisting of Lord Luke, Drummond Abernethy, and Marjorie Allen. They met at Play Field House in London to look into the possibility of providing adventure playgrounds in all the major cities of the UK. Soon government legislation was introduced
for conversion of many of the bombed sites into adventure playgrounds, with seventeen grant-aided trial sites to be run by voluntary bodies. Adventure playgrounds grew in number and popularity from the late fifties and, in more recent decades, in cities, new towns, and urban areas. Here children played on wooden structures, swung from Tarzan ropes, scampered up commando nets, and jumped from aerial runways. They tested their own capabilities in risk-taking activities and developed building skills, becoming adept at using tools and a wide range of materials. They built flimsy dens at first, but then their constructions became more imaginative and structurally sound. Play structures were constructed by play workers and youth volunteers for use as climbing frames, towers, walkways, slides, aerial runways, Tarzan rope swings, and commando netting. These were made from a vast variety of wood timbers from many sources. These included telegraph poles, railway track wooden sleepers, wooden beams from demolished buildings and railway stations, timber from demolition sites, shuttering boards used from foundations of motorways and timber off-cuts from Forestry commission sawmills, and so on. A vast range of timber was donated from factories and warehouses such as wooden pallets/duckboards from Bowater's etc.
FALL 2016 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE 25
Children were encouraged to take risks through means of a wide variety of play pursuits, including the construction work themselves with the use of tools and materials. Some of the playgrounds had gardens, pet areas, barbecue communal seating areas, nursery areas, preschool groups and youth sections. They were a community of children of all ages, play workers, and parents. Hundreds of these adventure playgrounds were established nationally over many decades throughout the UK, thanks to the work of the National Playing Fields Association, Marjorie Allen, play bodies, play workers and play associations. They were managed by a variety of groups including local play associations, local councils, social services or leisure departments, new town development corporations and voluntary bodies such as Barnardos, UK's largest children's charity. Some of these adventure playgrounds were lost over time due to housing redevelopment, or insufficient funding, while others survived up to 60 years. Over time, thousands and generations of children have passed through their gates and enjoyed the adventure playground experience.
Throughout history children have of course played in a vast variety of ways and environments despite their social circumstances in peace or war. For it is in their very nature to play and they cannot help but play. Whether particular places are provided for them in the community, (such as community playgrounds. play spaces or school playgrounds) or not. Children easily adapt at a very young age whether playing in groups or alone and solitary. They play wherever they happen to be at the time, using their imagination and inventiveness to make the best of any given situation, as an opportunity. Despite the often harsh play environments of concrete tarmac surfaces on barren school playgrounds and urban alleyways, generations of children have developed and amassed a rich and complicated collection of group and team games, played with balls, and skipping rope rhymes, all handed down from previous generations. Many of these have been catalogued by Peter and Iona Opie. Other children played their traditional ad hoc games of soccer on any available piece of wasteland using jumpers or coats as goalposts. In the early 1960s, a report by town and country planning called for the need for special play places for all children close to their homes. This resulted in town planners taking child’s play provision more seriously and fully into account. With this provision, a variety of unsupervised play spaces, including toddler play space, sprang up
26 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE FALL 2016
close to residential areas and in communities within housing estates. These were attractive colourful areas, though problems evolved later over the years with vandalism, poor maintenance and safety issues being prominent. With the dangers of falls onto tarmac or concrete, these playgrounds became a real problem. They were highlighted in Charles Rudds Playleader National Association Recreation Leaders magazine, showing horrific photos of dangerous, rusty, jagged metal play equipment. Such playground equipment had been responsible for thousands of injuries to children nationally. Numerous public campaigns were initiated by Safety on Playgrounds Action group and similar voluntary committees, such as the National Playing Fields Association /Fair Play For Children's Safety committee, led by Donne Buck and Peter Heseltine and supported by Paul Rose MP and TV personality Esther Rantzen. A great deal of public concern and fears of insurance claims eventually led to changes in the law. Safety surfaces on play areas were introduced and becoming a reality in the UK. Attractively coloured playgrounds with safety designed play surfaces of sand, bark or rubber matting soon sprang up nationally in communities throughout the UK. These were vast improvements from the original tarmac and concrete playgrounds surfaces of the past. Though often, particularly in the USA, these are placed far too close to housing and, as a result, children's natural play enjoyment is curtailed by rules. Rules which are displayed on many of these play areas include no noise, or running; excitable fun is not permitted. This prohibition of natural noisy play activity associated with the excitement normally associated with child's play is contrary to the total concept of quality play provision. The old maxim was in effect, children must be seen but not heard. The playground adventurous look and concept of the modern park playground is so often portrayed today as actually being an "Adventure Playground.� There are a variety of unsupervised styles including heavy weight, wooden, or plastic materials, walkways, towers, runways, slides, comwww.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
mando nets, and rubber, wood mulch, or sandy safe surfaces. These large fort-type commercial playgrounds of today are poor imitations of adventure playgrounds, despite looking exciting, attractive and challenging, with slides, climbing apparatus and walkways. They contain no loose parts, often many have limited space for movement of children to run under, between or above, with no bouncy-board flooring to play chase or similar enjoyable pursuits. There are no varieties of timber here as most are made of extremely hard wood with no apparent give, bounce or texture. Here there is little opportunity for the more adventurous child to meet challenges, overcome obstacles and for coming to terms with risks. Though in many ways it is truly a compliment to the original adventure playground ideal that it has been so sweetly imitated by the commercial manufacturer. These playgrounds meet the prescribed needs of the risk-free Health and Safety insurance laws. Yet in reality, they are in many ways not fully child-friendly play environments. There are concerns over the rubber matting which heats in the summer sunshine, is thought to
RAYMOND WILLS
Former Adventure Playground Leader/ Play Organiser UK Ray entered play work as a Community Service Volunteer in the early 1960s as a play scheme leader at Romford YMCA then at Redditch District Council. At Redditch he was seconded by the council onto a play course under the direction of Drummond www.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
give off toxicity, and is felt to cause more serious injuries on impact than either bark or sand. In fact, the rate of injuries on playgrounds has hardly changed since the initial use of safety surfaces which is extremely worrying and very disappointing. Healthy children are eager to take many risks and leap into the unknown daily. It's how children overcome problems and learn about themselves and the world around them. The more we take risks out of their play experiences, the more we limit their ability to experience life to the fullest. Over generations, children's play has been affected and influenced by dramatic changes in their natural world through the effects of wartime, housing demolition, and redevelopment, as well as in their daily environments at schools with bare concrete tarmac playgrounds and often hostile dangerous streets. Children’s swing parks were often exciting but also often dangerous and poorly maintained with their heavy metal, fixed play equipment. Children's familiar play places over the years have
included bombed sites and derelict wasteland within demolished housing, often amongst junk and rubble. Those more fortunate have had access to country environments and, of course, some have had access to local adventure playgrounds. Yet despite all the many constraints and restrictions on their full free play experience, children have adapted well, using play in all its varied forms as a positive means to socially enrich their lives in constructive ways, to overcome and deal with their circumstances. Through their play, they have managed to enjoy their lives and have fun. They still have fun today, despite the safety measures of the supposedly risk-free, social constraints imposed by adults, whether well-meaning, safetyconscious parents, council officials, recreation experts or law makers. Children cannot help but play, for it is in their very nature to do so. Attempts to put limitations on their natural play through whatever means is contrary to nature and limits the child's growth and social development. This ultimately leads to future mental, social, and fitness issues in later life, as is well documented by numerous child psychologists.
Abernethy of the National Playing Fields at Play Field House London. Ray was placed on adventure playgrounds and projects at Notting Hill, Battersea and Holland Park. Following his time in London, Ray set up Adventure playgrounds, play centres and town-wide play programmes throughout the UK over the next three decades at Balsall heath adventure playground Birmingham, Rogerstone Log Cabin Play centre South Wales, Pin Green adventure playground Stevenage, Skelmersdale adventure playground for the Development corporation and Barnardos , Redditch play schemes programme 12 schemes, Fernheath adventure playground Bournemouth, Dog Kennel Hill East Dulwich adventure playground London, Hammersmith adventure playground London, Camden Open Space Play Sports and youth programmes London, Holicare play programme Bournemouth. Throughout his time in play work, Ray was an active founder member of numerous play bodies, Play Councils, regional play associations and national
play campaign. Including the Institute of Play Leadership, Safety on Playgrounds Action Group, play committees at LAPA and NPFA Playfield House etc. He was an original Fellow of the Institute of Play/ Recreation Leaders. His qualifications include RSA DIP Management/NVQ 4 Award. Senior Youth Worker Award City and Guilds Certificate NVQ4, Certificate of Management Institute of Management and numerous play certificates. Ray has been involved in the community as a Parent Governor, member of housing cooperative body, chair of residents/tenant groups and wildlife conservation Heath-watch, managed town wide community schemes for the elderly and disabled, and church renovation projects. In recent years he has worked as a support worker with people with severe learning disabilities. He is both a published author and poet, campaigner for the rights of the gypsy community. He now lives with his wife Brenda in Alpena Michigan USA where he writes play topics and songs to raise money for children's charities.
Summary
FALL 2016 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE 27
SUNSCREEN FOR YOUR PLAYGROUND A Significant Advance in Playground Maintenance by Thomas Siebert REMEMBER GETTING SUNBURNED and vowing to apply a layer of sunscreen before you go out in the sun the next time? Sunscreens help protect you from the sun’s harmful UV rays while it moisturizes and conditions the skin. In a way, poured in place surfacing has some of the same protection needs. Like our skin, the sun attacks and substantially degrades solvent-based aromatic binders used during installation. This, then, leads to surface granulation. Playground Surface Granulation is nothing more than small rubber particles dislodging from the surface. The surface granulation process is progressive and the precursor to more serious issues on poured in place safety surfacing and rubber running tracks. If not addressed promptly, surface granulation leads to holes that make the playground unsafe and out of compliance for wheelchair accessibility. This can create a potential liability issue if a child is hurt. We’ve been asked “My playground surfacing appears to be in good shape, do I really need to coat it?” The short answer is “If it is still under warranty then no, but once out of warranty you really should start to preserve it” explains Mike Baker, Discount Playground Supply. Poured-in-Place surfacing is expensive to purchase and even more
expensive to replace. With replacement costs ranging from $30.00 -$40.00 per sq ft, it’s better to spend a little bit now to maintain it rather than be burdened with a huge bill when you need to replace it. Maintaining unitary rubber playground surfaces is fairly straightforward and entails periodically applying a clear top coating to reseal and preserve the surface. Playground contractors call it “roll coating”. They apply a solventbased polyurethane binder similar to that used when the surfacing was originally installed. While not rocket science, the process can be quite labor-intensive requiring several workers to apply the coating from a 5-gallon bucket using a roller equipped with an extension pole. There are two major drawbacks when using solvent based coatings. First, the products are moisture cured and are sensitive to heat and humidity during application. Excessive humidity or dampness will cause the coating to dry too quickly resulting in discoloration and poor adhesion to the surface due to polymer backbone degradation; conversely, in environments where humidity is low, it can take days to dry. The second and more important drawback is that solventbased coatings can contain pollutant chemicals that harm the environment as well as contaminate groundwater.
Over time, UV rays lead to surface granulation without maintenance. Photo courtesy of Thomas Seibert 28 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE FALL 2016
The next generation of playground coatings, - a green solution
Maxx Clear H2O is a revolutionary, crystal clear coating that is water based and not solvent based. It is a truly green product designed to rejuvenate and seal elastomeric poured in place safety surfaces or running tracks. Maxx Clear H2O restores the color and is easy to use because the curing process relies solely on the rate of evaporation of water in the corresponding film. The science behind Maxx Clear H20 is completely different than that for solvent based materials. Drying time is within minutes, not hours and if you have material left over, just be sure the lid is secure and you can use it again. A tremendous advantage for Maxx Clear H20 is that it is safe for the environment, and a big operational plus is that clean up is with soap and water. In marked contrast, once you open the pail of solvent-based binder, you have to use it or throw it out. Like solvent based products, Maxx Clear H2O can be applied with a roller, but unlike solvent based materials it can also be applied with a commercial grade airless sprayer. Commercial grade sprayers can be rented at many Home Depot Stores or local Tool Rental businesses. The advantages of applying the coating with an airless sprayer are huge; it provides a more consistent material coverage which means you get better coverage per pail, and secondly labor savings are very significant. A notable case in point: you can apply 3000 ft.² of coating in about six hours with an airless sprayer versus about two days when applying with a roller. And you don’t need to be a contractor to apply Maxx Clear H2O, just clean the surface, lightly mask the equipment, and open the pail, stir, and spray. Maxx Clear H20 offers a convenient and very easy way to preserve pouredin-place surfacing and halt surface granulation in an environmentally friendly manner. www.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
Surface Granulation, a simple test
A simple yet effective test to check for granulation is to identify high use areas on your playground such as those under swings at transfer points and at the end of slides. Just take your foot and scuff it hard on the surface. If small pieces of rubber dislodge in that section, granulation will most likely occur. If you’ve had any repairs to pouredin-place surfacing or have used incredible Fast Patch Playground Repair Kits, then Maxx Clear H2O is the perfect companion. Powerful UV rays are a dangerous element that will always need a combination of preventative maintenance, when possible, as well as refurbishing when granulation occurs to poured in place surfacing. Preventative maintenance can be considered in the form of shelters and structures made to create shade, but in any playgrounds, this can pose its own challenges and sun exposure can be reduced, but never eliminated. The need for a green solution is a growing concern for a modern playspace in regards to surface maintenance and we now have the proper solution.
Replacement Parts for: Playgrounds • Parks • Field Sports Fast Patch Repair Kits Maxx Clear Surface Conditioner Call Us: 888.760.2499 discountplaygroundsupply.com
Make a THOMAS SIEBERT
Thomas Siebert was a founding member of Groundscape Technology, pioneering the first water based coating for rubber mulch. He served on the FO8.63 committee that developed ASTM standards in surfacing as well as 1951 Standards for accessibility and 1292 Head impact standards. Tom also served as Vice Chair of IPEMA. He is currently the Executive Vice President of Discount Playground Supply, and his passion for safety and environmentally sound playground maintenance practices has earned Discount Playground Supply one of the best reputations in the Industry.
discountplaygroundsupply.com www.playgroundprofessionals.com/magazine
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FALL 2016 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE 29
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October is National Bullying Prevention Month Join the movement! The End of Bullying Begins with Me: that’s the message during PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Month in October.
National Recreation and Park Association Conference 2016 The 2016 NRPA Annual Conference is about more than just sharing great ideas. It's about seizing new opportunities and facing challenges head on.
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World Aquatic Health Conference The world needs more people living healthier lives using pools, hot tubs, and aquatic venues. The annual World Aquatic Health™ Conference sessions focus on best practices, new technology, and continuing research.
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IAAPA Attrations Expo 2016
The global conference and trade show for the attractions industry This year's annual conference is filled with educational seminars, networking events, and business development opportunities. We hope you will attend the conference and take advantage of the ability to obtain top-notch education and networking opportunities!
Orange County Convention Center Orlando, FL, US North and South Buildings 9899 International Drive Orlando, FL 32819
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NPCAI Annual Conference
Become an industry leader by attending NPCAI's Annual Conference The NPCAI has created an excellent program for this year's annual conference filled with educational seminars, networking events, and business development opportunities. We hope you will attend the conference and take advantage of the ability to obtain top-notch education and networking opportunities!
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FALL 2016 PLAY AND PLAYGROUND MAGAZINE 31
PLAYGROUND MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN TRAINING The two-day Playground Maintenance Technician Training focuses on practical playground maintenance activities, inspection principles and best practices in making repairs. This program does not focus on play theory or memorizing standards.
Participant Benefits • Learn about materials! Learn how to maintain playground equipment made of metal, plastic, wood and concrete • Learn about safety! Understand how to take damaged equipment out of service safely, keep proper records, and identify potential legal issues related to playground maintenance • Learn about surfaces! Learn how best to maintain unitary and loose-fill surfaces as well as fasteners and connectors • Cost effective! Train front-line maintenance staff at an affordable price • Ensure your equipment lasts through its useful life! Improve playground user safety and prolong the useful life of equipment
Upcoming Playground Maintenance Technician Programs • October 5-6, 2016 - City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department, Memorial Park Garden Center, El Paso, TX • October 13-14, 2016 - Oregon Recreation & Park Association, Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District Garden Home Recreation Center, Portland, OR • November 8-9, 2016 - Washington State Risk Management Pool and Sitelines Park and Playground Products, Inc., Puget Sound Educational Service District, Renton, WA • December 7-8, 2016 - Park District Risk Management Agency, Bolingbrook Park District, Bolingbrook, IL
Want to host a PMT program in your area? Contact the Program Coordinator at the Eppley Institute pmt@eppley.org Find out more at
www.playgroundmaintenance.org