June 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 27

Natural Materials
Community and staff input informed the selection of mostly natural materials rather than artificial
rocks or logs. That choice demanded
innovative solutions for design and
maintenance.
Sand. The sand-water combination is higher maintenance, but ultimately very rewarding for fueling
imaginative play. Sand migrates a
lot, and therefore, requires daily
maintenance. To minimize maintenance, surfaces adjacent to the sand
should be designed to handle sand
piling up (like gravel, landscape
or lawn areas). Except for access
points, walkways adjacent to the
sand areas should be limited.
Logs. Eventually, wood rots. Log
carpenters were consulted for the
massive logs that add a sculptural element to the play area. The team identified three criteria for log detailing:
safety, longevity and replaceability.
The logs were then detailed such that
each log independently " floats " on
a metal bracket, secured to concrete
footings. This reduces the contact
with moisture, ensures logs will not
move and allows for each log to be
easily replaced in the future.
Boulders. They last forever, but there
are safety considerations when build

GreenWorks, P.C.

intended to be safe, secure and maintenance friendly. This meant that a
lot of the design process took place
in the field. The team labored long
in fabricators' workshops and onsite
to determine the acceptable level of
risk for each play element, evaluating
each boulder and log while still providing beneficial challenges important to childhood development. Team
members logged (no pun intended),
more time on the construction phase
than a traditional playground project.

Sand and water provide hands-on, creative, imaginative and social play value.

ing things for children to climb on.
Boulders were beautifully composed
to fit together without sharp edges
and mortared in place for safety.
Inspection and Maintenance
The long-term success of a nature-based play area is dependent
upon maintenance and operations
staff buy-in. Innovative play areas require equally innovative approaches
to maintenance, including a custom
inspection and maintenance schedule to address natural materials. To
get staff on board, the team held an
all-day staff nature-play workshop
before design work even started. This
included a cross-section of staff, from
the bureau director to maintenance
and board members. The result of the
workshop was staff buy-in, a list of
criteria defining what nature-based
play means within the park system
and clear project goals.
Everybody Plays
The project team knew that the
play area would engage a broad

age range, but the nature-based approach has exceeded expectations
for attracting both the young and the
young at heart. On busy days, adults
and older children help build sand
castles and forts with younger children, or climb on logs and boulders.
People come from all over the region
for social play dates, and children
are entertained for hours. Neighbors stroll through the play area to
be a part of the social activity. The
play area has become a nucleus of
outdoor enjoyment, not only for the
neighborhood, but for the city. Within a few short months of opening,
Westmoreland has become a success
story for what is possible, and what
nature play can provide to enhance
a community and reconnect people
with nature.
Sandra Burtzos, RLA, is a Capital Project
Manager for Portland Parks and Recreation's
Design and Construction Services (sandra.
burtzos@portlandoregon.gov). Ben
Johnson, PLA, CPSI, is an Associate and
Project Manager at GreenWorks P.C. (benj@
greenworkspc.com).

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Parks & Recreation

June 2015 - Parks & Recreation

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