Want a Natural or First Nations themed playground, but not sure whether to choose wood or steel equipment? Commercial (i.e., steel) playgrounds offer some great solutions in terms of both appearance and efficiency.

Appearance plays a vital role in encouraging a community to use its new playground, and Commercial products offer a wide range of design options. Almost any manufacturer will offer a range of color choices, and some manufacturers (such as Westplay’s partner company Jambette) also have products that are specifically designed within different themes (such as a Forest theme with climbing trees, binoculars, and log tunnels; Beach theme with ships, fish, and whales; or First Nations theme with teepees and canoes).

For example, you could choose a Discovery Tipi and a Canoe Bench or Canoe Spring Rider, then pair those with a playstructure in greens, tans, and browns and you’ve got an affordable on-theme playground. Or, select a playstructure that incorporates some climbing trees, tree posts, and/or some panels depicting birds, animals, or flowers, and then you’ve created an even stronger Nature theme. If budget allows, a PIP rubber protective surface can even add to the play value and creativity with blue rivers, brightly-colored flowers, and animal tracks.

The other benefit of modern Commercial Playgrounds is the efficiency of the installation, especially for equipment that installs using a metal grid structure (like Jambette’s proprietary Stringer System). A playground built on a grid system benefits both the environment and your budget:

  • Environmentally: a playground is less invasive to the local ecosystem than the conventional concrete footings required by most conventional playstructures.
  • Financially: the faster installation means you get more bang for your buck.

There are two main factors that help offset the environmental impact of installing modern Commercial playgrounds on Stringers:

A) Playstructures using the Stringer System installed at a shallower (and therefore less invasive) depth while maintaining equal stability as deeper concrete footings.

B) They can be installed faster, usually in only 1-3 days, which means less time that heavy machinery will be rolling around the local ecosystem.

Both factors have the added benefit of saving money because first, shallower depth means less machinery is needed, and second, faster installation means lower labor costs. This better proportion of equipment cost to installation cost means you get more play value for the same overall project price, regardless of the size of your playground.

For more information or if you’d like a free consultation on your project, please send us an email at info@westplay.ca, call us at 604-424-4168. We look forward to hearing from you!


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