Playground and Recreation Association Victoria PRAV Awards

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Playground and Recreation Association Victoria
(PRAV) Awards for Excellence and Innovation in
play space planning, provision and design The
Village Playground at Tenterfield
Park Tenterfield Drive, Burnside Collie Pty
Ltd 29 Coventry Street Southbank VIC
3006 Contact Francine Stacey P 61 3 9686 9898
F 61 3 8698 9399 fmb_at_colliepl.com.au www.colliepl
.com
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Project
Location Tenterfield Park, Tenterfield Drive,
Burnside Heights Client VicUrban Landscape
Architect Collie Pty Ltd Artists Miriam
Porter and Libby McKinnon Contractor Allplay
Equipment Australia Pty Ltd Budget
300,000 Completion December 2006
? project specifications ? location ? design
? equipment ? landscape ? art ? community
? summary
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Tenterfield is a VicUrban 1000-lot community
development located in Melbourne's western growth
corridor in the suburb of Burnside Heights, 32
kilometres from the central business district.
Tenterfield is designed around an extensive
network of linear open space which incorporates
parklands, wetlands, water sensitive urban design
(WSUD) and environmental works within its 108
hectares. In total, over 30 per cent of
Tenterfield is devoted to open space, parklands
and wetlands and the Village Playground is a
significant feature of this network.
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The Village Playground is a custom design by
Collie Pty Ltd on behalf of VicUrban for
Tenterfield. The overall concept for the
playground is to represent a miniature village
complete with brightly coloured village shops,
a mini road with directional signage and
surrounded by bushland with child-scale walking
tracks. Adjacent to the playground, a shelter
with picnic tables, a barbeque, rubbish bins and
a drinking fountain is provided.
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The aim is to provide a unique themed play
experience. The space, its setting in the
surrounding landscape and the playgrounds
structural components were custom designed and
constructed. The playground also features
interactive public artworks. Material selection
was a key design consideration to ensure a cost
effective project. Standard construction
techniques, material sizes and pre-fabricated
off the shelf equipment were combined to create
this original design yet lower the overall cost.
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The playground maximises opportunities for
children of all ages and abilities to interact
and play within their comfort zone. The central
play structure is accessible via a ramp
connecting to the footpath at street level on
Tenterfield Drive. The entire play space can
also be circumnavigated to access all equipment
via the mini road which is constructed of wet
pour rubber under surfacing.
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The playground provides physical, tactile and
visual entertainment for children. A number of
educational pieces such as information, games,
counting and shapes boards allow for passive
play, while the mini road and village shops
encourage children to use their imagination in
role play activities.
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The playground is surrounded by native gardens
designed to extend the play space and form an
integral part of the play experience. Winding
access paths and contrasting scales and textures
of plant groups create curiosity and encourage a
broad play experience through interaction and
exploration. Plant selection was considered
carefully to complement the built form and
provide a stimulating visual, textural and
aromatic experience whilst maintaining the
highest level of safety for playground users by
avoiding the use of poisonous or prickly plants.
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Sculptor Miriam Porter was engaged by Collie Pty
Ltd to create original equipment for the
playground. Miriam created six Little Cars
sculptures each with an individual theme and
providing different possibilities for interaction
and play. Carved from a solid piece of wood,
Miriams works are a perfect addition to this
custom playground.
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A secret entrance to the playground through the
surrounding bushland features mosaic artworks
by Libby McKinnon. The design for the mosaics
resulted from a workshop held with the residents
of Tenterfield. Children were invited to express
their experience of living at Tenterfield. The
new Village Playground was a recurring and
dominant theme throughout the drawings,
reflecting the childrens excitement about the
new facility. The workshop also provided the
children of Tenterfield with an opportunity to
learn about the process of producing mosaic art
works. The day was a great success.
Approximately 80 people attended the workshop and
it enabled children and parents to meet their
neighbours within the Tenterfield community.
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As part of the VicUrban commitment to creating
communities, the official opening of the Village
Playground was celebrated with a Family Fun
Day. All of the Tenterfield residents were
invited and a large number attended. The day
allowed Tenterfield residents to socialise with
each other and enjoy their new play space.
Roving performers, music, food and beverage
vendors and workshops conducted by local artists
Libby McKinnon, Miriam Porter and Paul Blizzard
kept the crowd entertained.
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The Village Playground is a custom designed play
space that encourages children to touch, look,
listen, explore and interact within their
surroundings. The design works to activate
childrens bodies and stimulate their minds. A
combination of specifically constructed and
pre-fabricated items have been carefully
integrated to create unique play opportunities.
The playground design and construction has been
completed to the highest quality, which is over
and above best practice guidelines. The Village
Playground is a major draw card of the
development and has proven to be a very popular
asset for the Tenterfield and surrounding
communities.
?project specifications ? location ? design ?
equipment ? landscaping ? artists ? community ?
summary