PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Play In Succession
PLAY EXPERIENCES
A Master Plan for Play for the Atlanta Beltline
Focused on children’s sense of independence, connectedness and transcendence
suc • ces • sion 1. (n.) a following of one thing after another in time 2. (n.) the gradual and orderly process of ecosystem development in a particular region
This plan provides a blueprint for engaging children in play at various points along the Atlanta Beltline, and for allowing play experiences to be integrated into the physical evolution of the trail over time. We’ve developed a palette of play elements that emphasizes natural features and public art as ways to weave rich and varied play experiences into the life of the trail. Elements can be installed incrementally over time in layers, in an effort to add different types of play experiences as the natural and social environment of the trail unfolds.
PLAY PALETTE A palette of natural and artistic play elements geared for flexible use and appropriate for a variety of ages and abilities
INTEGRATING PLAY ELEMENTS INTO THE TRAIL ENVIRONMENT LAYER 3
[build drama and wonder throughout]
LAYER 2
[enhance character areas with play]
LAYER 1
[add play into entrances, crossings, wet areas, hills, valleys]
Playable 2010 Playable Site
Play elements are added to the trail environment incrementally in layers, similar to the process of forest succession. Entry ID 305924821
CONCEPT
Integrating Play Elements into the Trail Environment Layer 1: Create Visibility and Continuity
Layer 2: Build the Character of Unique Places
Layer 3: Creating a Sense of Wonder
Make the trail recognizable as a place for play and create patterns for how play can interact with the trail environment.
Let play elements reflect the character of the developing environment along the trail. Develop public art and play structures that reflect the native natural features of the area, existing architecture, land uses, history, ecosystems and genius of place.
Establish play elements that create intrigue and inspire children to explore the deeper drama of each unique space.
Guideline:
• Add drama and wonder through color, lighting, statues and other public art elements at hot spots along the trail. Scale can also be used- tighter areas receive treatments that are dense; in expansive areas, voids of space can create drama.
• Use public participation and cognitive mapping to identify critical points and understand how people interact and inhabit the space.
Guidelines:
• Visibility and continuity: Establish visual continuity and critical mass of play places along the trail through repetition of related play elements and the addition of play and art to entrances, intersections and areas of natural and cultural significance. • Play in trail settings: Pattern-making with play elements. Establish a language for settings along the trail including entrances/thresholds, crossings, ground plane, trail sides, storm water collection areas, hills and valleys.
• Development of character areas: Develop play elements that accentuate the natural features, existing texture and materiality of land and/or “feeling” of the space. Play elements added here would specifically relate to water, vegetation and the scale of settings along the trail.
Guidelines:
The Beltline is a dynamic environment that will develop over time, just like the process of forest succession. Therefore, one of the fundamental recommendations of our plan is to install play elements over time in layers, in conjunction with the installation of public art, trail infrastructure and natural elements.
Playable 2010 Playable Site
Entry ID 305924821
SUCCESSION EXAMPLE
Layer 1 [bridge painting, grass sculpture on hill]
Layer 2 [play mounds, meadow grasses]
Layer 3 [climbing boulders, meadow succession]
These successive images show how a play area along the trail might change over time. In this meadow environment, elements from the play palette would be chosen that emphasize the expansiveness and flow of the space.
Playable 2010 Playable Site
Entry ID 305924821
SUCCESSION EXAMPLE
Layer 1 [mushroom play sculpture, decaying roots]
Layer 2 [mushroom play sculpture, fallen log]
Layer 3 [flower play sculptures, looking glass]
These successive images show how a play area along the trail might change over time. In this forest environment, elements from the play palette would be chosen that emphasize the density and richness of the space as well as the changing quality of the forest floor.
Playable 2010 Playable Site
Entry ID 305924821
PLAY EXPERIENCES Play Experiences Fundamental to our plan is the affordance of a range of play experiences for children of all ages, including: • • • • • • • • • •
Touching Hearing Seeing Hiding Climbing Running Jumping Exploring Imagining Cooperating
For these play experiences to truly resonate with children who visit the Beltline, play elements must offer children a feeling of freedom and independence. In this plan, we recommend a palette of play elements that will: 1) offer children the freedom to initiate the play of their choosing at various points along the trail; 2) help children feel connected to the particular trail landscape that they are traveling through; and 3) give children a sense of transcendence- a feeling of delight and of “standing outside of oneself.”
Playable 2010 Playable Site
touching
running
hearing
jumping
seeing
hiding
climbing
exploring
imagining
cooperating
Entry ID 305924821
PALETTE OF PLAY ELEMENTS Crossings and Intersections
Entrances
bridge painting
patterned crosswalk
textured walkways
play mounds
pavement tapis
mural
rings play structure
entry grove
bridge lighting
entry boulder
portal
Recommended play environments along the trail can be expressed as a palette of play elements that either stand alone or are composed into larger patterns. The palette visually demonstrates the range of play elements that could occur in various settings along the trail and the play experiences associated with each element. In general, the suggested play elements are geared for flexible use and would be appropriate for a variety of ages and abilities. Playable 2010 Playable Site
Entry ID 305924821
PALETTE OF PLAY ELEMENTS Character Areas
dry stream bed
root play sculpture
flags
fallen log
flow form
reed grass sculpture
stepping stump
climbing boulder
water trough
willow hut
mushroom play sculpture
willow tunnel
Playable 2010 Playable Site
Entry ID 305924821
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability of Materials The play elements that comprise the play palette tend to respond to the local environment and utilize natural materials. Whether natural or manufactured materials are used in the construction process, the life cycle impacts must be considered, including the origin and fate of materials. Naturally occurring materials should be locally sourced and renewable on < 10 year time line. Where possible, manufactured materials should be salvaged from a previous use in the region. Otherwise, sourcing, manufacture, recycled content, toxic material content, carbon emissions and disposal/reuse of materials should be considered. In many cases, the geographic features of the site are used as a play element. Here, care must be taken to keep sites healthy and to heal injured sites. This can be done by preserving and restoring topsoil, working with the existing topography, saving existing trees, protecting the site during construction and maintaining and restoring native landscape vegetation. Energy and water use should be minimized in construction and ongoing management of the spaces. Where water is used for play, it should be sourced from captured rainwater. Where lights are installed, solar LED lights should be used if possible.
Playable 2010 Playable Site
Entry ID 305924821