Our Approach

At Green Play Project we are passionate about creating playful landscapes and spaces that inspire imagination, encourage adventure, foster learning and promote a deeper connection with nature. Our innovative designs and expert craftsmanship bring joy to children and enhance the natural environment.

We believe that play is a fundamental part of childhood and that outdoor play spaces should be engaging, inspiring and sustainable. By integrating natural elements into our designs, we create environments that encourage exploration, creativity and a love for the outdoors. We take a holistic approach to playground design and work closely with our clients to understand their vision and needs, ensuring that each project is tailored to its specific context and users.

A man wearing a green shirt and cap carving wood in a workshop.

When you work with us, you can expect:

Expertise: Our team of experienced designers and builders bring a wealth of knowledge and creativity to every project. Our designs are rooted in play theory and principles.

Innovation: We stay at the forefront of playground design trends and technologies to deliver unique and engaging play experiences.

Quality: We use only the highest-quality materials and adhere to strict safety standards to ensure the durability and safety of our playgrounds.

Collaboration: We work closely with our clients to understand their needs and deliver solutions that exceed their expectations. We run engaging consultations with clients and stakeholders.

Person sitting at a desk holding colorful foam blocks in front of a computer monitor. The monitor displays an outdoor scene with several large foam knives or swords standing upright in a row.

Design & Build Approach

As a multi-disciplinary team of landscape architects, designers, carpenters and builders, Green Play Project offers a design and build approach. This allows for a streamlined process where all stages can be addressed under one roof. We literally operate under one roof too! Our office space is built within our Bristol workshop.

The benefits to the design and build approach include:

Enhanced collaboration: Designers and contractors work together from the beginning of the project with a continued dialogue throughout. There is less likelihood of design revisions down the line due to buildability concerns from a contractor brought in at a later stage.

Reduced administrative burden: Clients benefit from simplified administration including one point of contact and no need for a second tender process for hiring a contractor.

Cost control and predictability: Accurate costing can be made in-house earlier in the design process.

Inclusivity & Accessibility

An inclusive play space welcomes individuals of all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds. They are designed for easy access and navigation, offering diverse play opportunities and challenges, along with suitable amenities in a comfortable setting.

We believe a play space goes beyond just the equipment; it encompasses the whole environment that contributes to and enhances the play experience. We strive to create spaces that consider everyones needs and we are continuously learning how we can make our natural play spaces more inclusive and accessible for all.

A few key principles we follow are outlined below.

A young girl in a red jacket and pink pants sitting in a wheelchair outdoors on a trail surrounded by trees and fallen autumn leaves, smiling happily.

A cartoon-style bee with wings and stripes inside a circular badge.

Simultaneous Play

Some children thrive in group play, while others find joy playing alone or nearby. We aim to support both. We want to encourage adults to play too, but often they feel self-conscious. To encourage their participation, we design elements that require two people, making adults feel they are in integral part of play.
Legible Layouts

One of the scariest concepts to both children and parents/carers is the idea of getting lost. Clear legibility of a space can help orientation through simple indicators in the layout. Markers such as surfacing and topography can be helpful as well as obvious boundaries. Clear sight-lines throughout a space should be maintained where possible.
Places to Pause

Many children will have moments where they feel overwhelmed and need a break from the main activity in a space. We consider this during our design process and where possible, designate quieter zones where visitors can rest and recharge. These spaces offer breaks from physical activity and tend to be gently shielded from the noise and movement of the play areas.
Multi-Sensory Moments

We aim to create multi-sensory play spaces wherever we can. These incorporate a variety of sensory experiences including visual, auditory, tactile and a range of movements. They may involve loose materials such as sand and water, a variety of planting and furniture.

Sustainability

At Green Play Project we are committed to sustainable practices in all aspects of our work. From sourcing eco-friendly materials to implementing green construction methods and recycling our waste timber, we strive to minimise our environmental impact. Our playgrounds are designed to support biodiversity and promote the well-being of both children and the natural world.

We take a circular approach, which means considering the entire life cycle of a design. Reducing the environmental impact of our work and improving the longevity of our installations go hand in hand.

We use natural materials wherever possible, both for structures and the surrounding hard landscaping elements. We make bespoke to order and recycle equipment and timber which ensures that no materials go to waste.

We always consider the soft landscaping and where appropriate we include as many plants, grass and trees as possible. Planting trees or shrubs and relaxing the mowing regimes to leave grasses to flower will increase biodiversity. Trees provide much needed shade and helping absorb rainfall.

We can incorporate SuDs (sustainable drainage systems) into our playscapes and include rainwater harvesting systems into our shelter structures for irrigation purposes.

We believe it is vital that our clients have the capacity to maintain their space and structures correctly to keep them usable and safe for all users. We will not design a scheme that is difficult or time intensive to maintain.

We are always learning and adapting to reduce our environmental impact.

A pile of assorted wooden planks, beams, and scraps, with a wooden piece featuring the word 'GLOTRK' cut out.

Recycling excess materials

We are constantly looking into ways we can reuse or recycle excess materials. This involves researching local charities and associations that have an interest in what we can offer. We are fortunate enough to be local to Bristol Wood Recycling Project, a social enterprise that promotes reuse of waste timber, who collect any excess timber from our workshop.

All our equipment meets EN1176, EN1177 & TUV playground standards.
All our equipment is approved by ROSPA in a Post Installation Inspection.
We are accredited to CHAS are qualified to act as Designer & Principle Contractors under CDM regulations.
We have £10m Public & Product Liability Insurance plus £2m Professional Indemnity cover.