Steel and Timber Hybrid Structure
Marston Holdings gave us an opportunity to explore a different approach to the way we construct larger play structures, combining the structural durability of steel with the more tactile qualities of timber and rope.
The design takes some of its cues from the informal character of our robinia structures, with irregular uprights, overlapping beams and multiple routes through the equipment. Rather than constructing the entire structure from timber, however, the primary uprights are fabricated from steel, creating a robust structural framework around which the timber and rope play elements are arranged.
This combination allows each material to do what it does best. Steel provides strength, durability and a long-lasting primary structure, while the elements children predominantly touch, climb across and move through remain timber and rope.
Colour became an important part of the design too. The steel uprights at Florence Hayes were finished in a strong orange two-pack paint system, contrasting with the much more natural palette of the timber. Over time the timber will weather and gradually fade towards grey, while the painted steel retains a deliberate splash of colour. We like the idea that the structure can visibly age without simply looking tired.
The two-pack paint finish was selected with maintenance in mind too. Localised chips and damage can be repaired and touched up during the life of the structure, rather than colour being treated as something that only looks good when the equipment is new.
The same thinking applies to the rest of the structure. Timber, ropes, nets and other higher-wear components can be individually maintained and ultimately replaced while retaining the primary steel framework. Rather than designing equipment around the assumption that the whole structure will eventually be discarded, Florence Hayes explores how playground equipment can be renewed incrementally over a much longer life.
The project has subsequently become a useful testing ground for a wider idea at PlayEquip. We are now developing a family of products based on the same principle: durable steel primary structures combined with replaceable timber and rope play elements, with colour allowing each installation to respond to its particular landscape and architectural setting.
Florence Hayes is the project where that idea began.
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