Designer Spotlight – H Nyunny Kim of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

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“Who needs to escape the city when you can walk down the street or take the F train to Jay Street or the No. 22 to Clark Street or the B63 bus that goes right to Pier 6 at Atlantic Avenue — and see nature in the city.” That’s Anne Raver, art and design columnist for… Read more »

Scale, Imagination, and Innovation in Modern Playgrounds

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When recalling our early playground memories, we remember how awe-inspiring the equipment was to our child’ eye. Often we look back at “the slide that was higher than a two story building” or “the bottomless sandbox” and think of how we begged our parents to bring us back. Although this feeling comes in part from our… Read more »

The Best Designed Slide: How to Create the Perfect Hill or Mound Slide

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Hill Slide NYC

Important issues when designing a hill slide: 1. Adequate shading. All playground equipment needs shade.  All materials get hot, even plastic!  So make sure to design your area accordingly. 2. What material is appropriate for your requirements? Stainless steel, plastic (polyethylene) or corian?  They all have pros and cons. 3. Slope of the slide.  Be sure to… Read more »

A Sculptural Playground to Stretch Your Imagination

- Written by - filed under Innovative Designs, Playgrounds.

So often I hear that a community would like a playground but they don’t want it to “look like a playground”. They want it to “blend with the environment” or “disappear in the landscape” or “look like art or sculptural”. The playground at Playa Vista in Los Angeles depicts this exactly.