A behind the scenes look at building Calgary’s Prairie Winds Park splash pad

by jason_cramp | June 18, 2016 1:30 pm

By Shanley Hutchinson

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The making of a great aquatic splash pad starts well before the concrete is poured and spray features are installed. A thoughtful planning process is the first step to achieving an extraordinary play space. This is illustrated in the new splash pad at Prairie Winds Park in Calgary, Alta., which has now become a popular recreational destination for local families seeking refreshing summer fun.

How was the builder able to create an attractive and sustainable water play space for the community? This article discusses a number of objectives identified during the planning process to achieve a standout splash pad.

Designing for discovery play

The importance of play in child development has become an increasingly influential design factor for aquatic play spaces. Beyond entertainment value, the modern splash pad plays a positive role in supporting a child’s physical and emotional development.

The concept of designing for discovery starts with considering how children learn from play, how they interact with their environment, and the people around them. This knowledge can then be used during the design stage to guide decisions—from feature selection to configuration.

Steps for designing for discovery

1. Define separate play zones for toddlers, children, and youth. Segregation of age groups in separate zones is necessary for the enjoyment of younger children, who may be intimidated by youths.
2. Consider the play habits of each zone when choosing features. Children will be automatically drawn to the zone that best matches their play habits. Choose play features that stimulate development at each age level, and evoke thoughtful play. Keep in mind the role of parents or caregivers, giving them easy lines of sight to the children and dry sitting areas.
3. Space out play features to provide sufficient room to encourage maximum fun. This is important not only for safety and play value, but also to ensure the play environment is as accessible as possible for all ability levels.

Let your dream take shape

As part of the redevelopment of Prairie Winds Park, the City of Calgary requested a water play amenity that would offer rewarding experiences for every park goer. In doing this, they decided on a spacious, organic pad shape distinguished by a central stream feature, along with distinct areas for different age groups.

In consulting with aquatic play specialists and manufacturer Waterplay Solutions Corp., the builder was able to identify dedicated play zones, including a child zone for the whole family to enjoy and a toddler area where younger children (under four) could explore smaller water features in a safe, low traffic area. To accomplish this, Waterplay provided recommendations for optimal placement and spacing of the features to ensure both zones adhere to the highest standards of accessibility.

Working with the landscape

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The next objective was determining an overall esthetic for the splash pad that would fit seamlessly with the park’s surrounding greenspace. The builder selected a collection of themed water play features inspired by a meadow-like ecosystem comprising tall shoots of misting grass, giant showering wildflowers, friendly insect characters, and a shimmering stream full of fish.

The earthy colour palette of light and dark greens captures the look of grasses in various stages of growth, while vibrant blues and reds draw the eye to blossoms, splashing insects, and swimming fish. The stream was situated at the heart of the splash pad, surrounded by flora and fauna, similar to how a stream is the life source of a meadow in nature.

Anticipating the play experience

The builder also considered how children would use the features once activated. Their goal was to create a contemplative, low-to-moderate action play space, where all ages and abilities would feel comfortable to join in play.

Age-specific play habits

Beyond separating different ages, defining water play zones also helps the splash pad better cater to the play habits of toddlers, children, and youth. For instance, in the toddler zone, little ones should feel safe playing with water elements designed to their size and abilities. With a recommended age range of six months to four years, discovery play in this zone focuses on motor skills development, sensory stimulation, and parallel play for the younger bathers.

The child zone is oriented around family fun, and should be an exciting area for everyone, though it is geared towards kids five to eight years old. Discovery play in this zone includes sensory stimulation, action-reaction interactions, and collaboration.

Finally, the youth zone includes big sprays and even bigger splashes for older kids looking for increased stimulation. Designed for ages nine and up, the element of surprise is essential for this zone. Here, the discovery play elements should relate to action-reaction interactions and collaboration.

These age-specific play habits were taken into consideration for the Prairie Winds Park by using themed features that construct a larger, fantastical world for kids to explore the elements of nature. They can discover how water travels through a meandering stream bed, from its spring to the ocean, or how twisting the stem of a wildflower can shake off water droplets. Ideal for toddlers, the stream invites gentle hands-on play with movable weirs, and the sensations of flowing water. Bubbling ground sprays add clusters of excitement, and dew-dropping grass creates suspense for the five- to 12-year-old group with sudden splashes. Built with interactive functions throughout, the features selected for the Prairie Winds Park inspire thought-provoking play and discovery.

Selecting features

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The four types of discovery play—motor skills development, sensory stimulation, action-reaction interactions, and collaboration—are cultivated through the appropriate feature selection and combinations within each play zone.

Motor skills development occurs in a play environment that encourages toddlers to develop co-ordination and test their abilities. These include, for example, low-to-the-ground play features that little ones can manipulate predictable water patterns and multiple textures.

Engaging children’s senses of touch, sight, and sound evokes imaginative play, leading to emotional and social growth. The sounds of splashing and flowing water can be supplemented with features that are noise-interactive, making sounds from musical notes to animal calls. Visual stimuli such as theming, water patterns, reflections, translucent effects, and light refraction create even more interest for all ages.

In this regard, it is important to consider the level of sensory stimulation for the intended age group. For instance, toddlers may be overwhelmed in a play area that stimulates all the senses at once, whereas this may be more effective for older children.

Cause and effect learning environments help children to develop intention and discover causal relationships. Using activators and park sequencing lets kids direct the water play and keeps them guessing as to which features will be activated and in what order. Features that allow children to redirect or control the flow of water also help them explore action-reaction functions.

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Collaborative play gives children confidence and promotes teamwork, which is an essential part of social development. Multi-user play features, particularly those that encourage kids to work together to achieve a specific result, are conducive to collaborative play. Some examples are spray cannons or team ground sprays, which erupt in larger bursts of water as kids work together to cover the nozzles.

Resources to keep the fun flowing

To support these fundamentals and the design for the Prairie Winds Park splash pad, the builder required a hydraulic system that would also satisfy the city’s request for a water-wise, energy-efficient splash pad. As a result, a water treatment system was selected that conserves 90 per cent of the splash pad’s water through recirculation that is otherwise lost in a traditional potable park.

The water treatment system was designed for the maximum flow of the components requested, while recommendations were provided for water spray feature line sizing based on the builder’s flow and pressure requirements. As a result, the water management system will help to ensure the city’s splash pad grows with the community over the years.

The end result

By using this multi-faceted design process, a versatile splash pad can be designed and built that caters to the needs, interests, and developmental stages of the end users, encouraging repeat visits and offering something for all members of the community, regardless of age or ability. The design decisions made for the Prairie Winds Park splash pad paved the way for a successful project. The final result was a beautiful park that brings the local community closer together through the joys of water.

[5]Shanley Hutchinson is communications manager for Waterplay Solutions Corp. As part of the company’s management team, Hutchinson assists in product design and development. Her technical background allows her to approach product concepts from a practical perspective, lending insight into how they can best function for their users. She can be reached via e-mail at shanley.hutchinson@waterplay.com[6].

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-building-calgarys-prairie-winds-park-splash-pad/

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