Greenspan have had the pleasure of working with Yorkshire Wildlife Park in recent months. The brief was to redevelop their Forest Adventure play area, rivaling the height of their existing, dated play structure and drawing inspiration from their nearby ‘Islands’ species. The result – a fantastic timber play area with soaring treetop towers, set neatly within the beautiful, natural woodland landscape.
Above left: Concept sketch, Above right: Main treetop tower
Taking inspiration from the wildlife park’s nearby Lemur enclosure, children can explore exciting jungle shacks and huts, and venture upwards to the striking, tall wooden towers and platforms, which offer a bird’s eye view of the Yorkshire forest. A variety of components and connections encourage young explorers to journey upwards and along the trail, enticed by the opportunity to whizz back down to the forest floor via a number of long tube slides.
The nearby ground level timber trail provides further opportunity for children to challenge their physical senses with a variety of climbing and balancing features, allowing them to experience the forest in true explorer style. The bespoke timber playscape encourages the children to venture further and higher than they ever have done before, ultimately giving them a wonderful sense of exhilaration and achievement.
Above: Concept plan
The playscape is set in a large, relatively open, forest area allowing families to enjoy the experience together, so children are never far from an adult’s view, and when it’s time for a rest there are plenty of places to sit and enjoy a picnic together.
The scale of the playscape is quite astonishing, but it remains very much in-keeping with the surrounding woodland landscape, the natural timbers providing an authentic, rustic feel. Its’ eye-catching and attractive design is sure to make a positive imprint on the memory of the young explorer’s, drawing them back time and time again to experience even more fun and to venture that bit further next time around!
Conservation is high on Yorkshire Wildlife Park’s agenda and so it is on Greenspan’s too, that’s why the timber playscape was built from approved and sustainably sourced Robinia hardwood, offering a long-lasting structure.
Greenspan’s specialist in-house design and build team worked with Yorkshire Wildlife Park to develop this amazing timber playscape, ensuring that the design offers a fully immersive experience with maximum play value. From the initial concept sketch stage, through 3D rendering and detailed structural planning, to finally enabling the skilled craftsmen to get on-site and build, Greenspan meticulously managed the playscape project to create what has proven to be a fabulous addition to the wildlife park.
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