Paerata Rise Playground

An all-abilities community playground with a big focus on providing something for all ages. Situated in the heart of Paerata Rise, the parents can grab a coffee at the café that overlooks the playground. The brief was to create a space for the big and little kids, inclusive regardless of age. This led the design to be centred around a ‘big’ and ‘little’ fort, with side by side combat courses that varied in challenge to link the space. The slope of the sight was taken advantage of to create a tiered water play inclusive of water gates and water jets, that was inspired by the pink and white terraces. Water is not just fun to play with but provides our little ones with a variety of educational benefits including developing hand-eye coordination, problem solving and sharing with others The playground flows down to a grandstand which looks across the sports field below, creating a connected and multifunctional recreational space that brings the community together.