Avoiding Surfacing Tensions

Playtop Limited’s Marc Blamire investigates how the decision on which play surfacing to use has become a much more complex affair.

                                                       Magna Science Adventure Centre

Choosing a surface type for a playground used to be easy. Before the British Standard was introduced there were basically two surfaces found in most playgrounds, grass or Tarmac, neither one the best choice for a number of reasons! Then a whole plethora of materials started to become available as the realisation dawned that safety was paramount in these areas designed for children. Even then, for the specifier, the decisions were relatively straight forward:

• Grass – A great natural surface and in the right conditions suitable for low fall heights and beneath trim trails and the like. It has the ability to absorb minor impacts safely, but the English climate plays havoc with high use areas, transforming them from mud in the winter, to something resembling a rhino skin in the summer! Maintenance is a chief consideration for grass areas and should be taken fully into account at the outset. Rubber mats, which the grass grows through, alleviate some of these problems but speak to reputable suppliers or the API (Association of Play industries) to make sure you know what to look out for as there have been some bad experiences with poor quality materials.
  
• Sand – children love it. Sand looks great when it’s first down and offers a world of play value in its own right. However it can only continue to look great as long as it is regularly brushed back into place, raked for rubbish and other nasties, and it if doesn’t rain too much! Just have a think about how regularly you will be able to monitor the play facility.
  
• Bark – a wonderful, natural product, well worth consideration in an appropriate environment. Unfortunately though, like sand, it isn’t the most hygienic surface and will require regular topping up and supervision for the duration of its lifecycle.
  
• Wet-pour – a recycled product that looks bright and fun, is vandal resistant, is porous and, more importantly, lasts (assuming a reputable company is used to install it). However, for some, the initial cost has prohibited its use and installing plain black playgrounds has turned some people against the idea of using wet-pour. The trick is to consider how the surface can be a part of the play environment and incorporate games and shapes into your design, making it a real stand out play area.
  
• Rubber tiles - the main advantage to them is their ease of use and longevity. They are also cheaper than wet-pour and it’s easy to budget for an area. They have become less popular in recent years as they can be prone to vandalism and don’t offer the flexibility or play value of other surfaces.
  
• Fabric – this carpet like treatment is decent value. However, wear and tear can be a problem and it regularly needs brushing. Newer carpets are able to incorporate more designs and colour than previously available. Once again however, it is consideration of the location of the play area that might make your decision with vandalism and repair a big issue for these sort of surfaces.

The type of play surface to use has often been a combination of very practical issues. Deciding on the best option has been influenced by budget constraints, where the location is, whether the area is fenced off, how prone it will be to vandalism, whether animals will be able to get onto the area, whether there will be play equipment on the site and so on.

Ron Tulloch of the City of Edinburgh believes that it’s a combination of factors that affect the choice of play surfacing type – location of the site, size of the area, the surroundings, the type of equipment and who it’s appealing to: “We would never use loose fill materials in an inner city play area, for example, but we would for climbing rocks in an active play area. It’s about creating a play area that reflects its surroundings and then using the most appropriate surface material.”

The decision about which play surfacing to use though now also needs to consider a range of far more complex factors relating to use and access, environment, aesthetics and longevity.

Sustainability

The Government has long advocated the use of sustainable and renewable materials. However, in the play market this has been a long time coming.
In the last two years though there has definitely been a change in emphasis. There have been a number of tenders out in 2007 that have measured the weight of the competing candidates not only by delivery of product and service, but by the moral and organisational commitment to the environment. Green issues have finally become an actual guiding light to the Best Value mantra that was often spoken of and rarely genuinely delivered, because it has always been quite difficult to measure two similar products on anything other than price.
Now it is more than that – specifiers are looking at a product’s green credentials. A current example is Nottinghamshire County Council who decided it wanted to create a carbon neutral playground at a new flagship school it is building. Playtop wet-pour surfacing was specified due to its environmental credentials – being manufactured from recycled truck tyres.  

Accessibility

The fact that playgrounds must be accessible to all is a moral as well as a legal obligation. Whilst the issues of accessibility and inclusion have been addressed by the equipment manufacturers for many years, there is little point if access to the equipment is impossible for those less mobile or in wheelchairs.  

Longevity

At one time those specifying and buying play surfacing merely considered the initial cost and, understandably, some surface types are dearer than others. Thankfully, common sense has prevailed and now buyers are looking at the more long-term costs of particular surface types – how long will the surface last and what maintenance will be required? Many local authorities, for example, are now replacing their bark surfacing due to the high ongoing maintenance issues and costs.

Surfacing is part of the whole play experience

Magna Science Adventure Centre has one of the largest outdoor play areas in the country and it incorporates a range of surface types – bark, sand and wet-pour. Margaret Eyre, the Centre’s operations general manager is in no doubts as to her preferred option: “Out of all the play surfaces we have, the only one that doesn’t need regular maintenance is the wet-pour. We’ve had it for six years now and, despite the very heavy use it gets, it is still going strong.”  

Playability

Play surfacing ultimately has to be about safety and creating an area which helps prevent serious injury to those playing if they fall. However, the surfacing can now be so much more – becoming part of the whole play experience through the use of colours, graphics and games. Many larger playgrounds are now based around a theme and wet-pour surfacing in particular can be designed to reflect this theme, creating a total offering.

It’s now not unusual to find larger playgrounds with a mixture of play surfacing types. The Magnet Play area in East Meadows, Edinburgh, is a new £400,000 playground that uses nearly every type of play surfacing there is.

Ron Tulloch of the City of Edinburgh Council sums it up: “It’s about quality of play, not numbers. And it’s about creating play areas we’re proud of that combine different surfaces in original ways. There is a place for each type of play surface, it just needs thought and imagination.”

More information relating to Playtop can be found at www.playtop.com

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