Shelters & Seating

Specialists in creating
bespoke shelters and seating

At Green Play Project we do more than just play; we also have extensive experience designing and building bespoke shelters and seating to enhance play spaces or as standalone items in both education and public settings.

Shelters and seating greatly improve the usability, comfort and inclusiveness of playgrounds, providing a more welcoming, practical and enjoyable space for everyone. From woodland shelters to outdoor classrooms, simple benches to amphitheatres, we offer a unique solution to suit your needs.

Outdoor seating area with log benches arranged in a circle on a paved surface, surrounded by green grass and bushes, with trees and houses in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Shelters & Seating
for Education Settings

We create bespoke shelters and seating to extend classroom activities, for play time comfort and to provide event spaces within school and EYFS settings. The inclusion of shelters and seating within your grounds provides essential benefits for both children and staff by creating practical and inspiring outdoor spaces that support learning, play and wellbeing in all weather conditions.

We have designed and built a wide rage of bespoke shelters and seating areas within schools and nurseries including:

  • Forest school areas

  • Lean-to shelters to extend classroom activities

  • Outdoor dining areas

  • Outdoor kitchens

  • ‘Buddy’ areas and benches

  • Outdoor classrooms

  • Events spaces

  • Performance spaces, including stages and amphitheatres

  • Playground benches

  • Tree decks

From simple sail shades to beautifully crafted outdoor classrooms, we can provide the perfect solution for your setting. Get inspired by a selection of our Shelters & Seating projects below or get in touch to discuss your unique requirements with our friendly team.

  • A wooden gazebo with a red metal roof in a garden area, surrounded by trees and green grass.

    Outdoor Classroom, Knowle West Children's Centre, Bristol

  • A wooden outdoor shelter with a sloped roof, built with vertical wooden planks and supported by large vertical logs at the corners. There is a curved wooden bench inside, also supported by logs. The shelter is situated in a garden or park area with trees, grass, and a tire on the ground nearby.

    Forest School Shelter, Southmead Children's Centre, Bristol

  • A small outdoor garden area with a wooden structure and flower decorations painted on the wood paneling. There are plants in a wooden planter box, and a shelter with a colorful canopy made of translucent panels. The area is shaded by trees and surrounded by a green metal fence.

    Buddy Area, Ark Franklin Academy, London

  • Wooden outdoor gazebo with hanging paper pom-pom decorations, picnic tables, and benches in a grassy area under a clear sky.

    Community Cafe, Aerodrome Academy, Croydon

  • Outdoor fire pit area with a circular arrangement of large wooden logs around a ring of rocks, shaded by a beige fabric canopy supported by wooden posts, surrounded by trees and grass.

    Forest School Fire Pit Circle, Emmerson Green Primary School, Bristol

  • Children playing and working in a backyard wooden shed with shelves, storage boxes, and gardening tools on a sunny day.

    Classroom Shelter, Clifton Montessori, Bristol

  • Outdoor seating area with wooden tree stump tables and matching round stools, surrounded by grass and trees, in a park-like setting.

    Tyre Tables, Windwhistle Primary School, Weston-Super-Mare

  • Wooden outdoor shelter with a sloped metal roof, supported by sturdy wooden posts and beams, situated in a grassy area with houses and a wooden fence in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

    Dining Area, Minerva Primary Academy, Bristol

  • Interior of a wooden screened porch or sunroom with large windows, wooden flooring, and a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams.

    Outdoor Classroom, Fremington Primary, Barnstaple

  • Outdoor playground with large beige shade sail, wooden playhouse with blackboard, colorful circular patterns on ground, grassy area, and black metal fence, surrounded by trees.

    Sail Shades, St Peters Primary, Pilning

  • Two children sitting on a tiered, retaining wall in a park with green grass, trees, and a blue sky.

    Amphitheatre, Minerva Primary Academy, Bristol

  • A small wooden and metal shed with sliding barn doors on a paved surface under a blue sky with some clouds. Bare tree branches are visible overhead and to the right.

    Forest School Workshop, Charborough Road Primary, Bristol

  • Two wooden picnic tables with attached benches on a brick patio, enclosed by a wooden slatted fence with some greenery visible beyond.

    Timber & Metal Picnic Benches, Aerodrome Academy, Croydon

  • A wooden outdoor structure with open double doors, decorated with a string of small flags with pig designs, set on red dirt ground with potted plants and a gardening bed, surrounded by a blue fence and trees in the background.

    Community Kitchen, Knowle West Children's Centre, Bristol

  • An outdoor playground area with a wooden pergola roof, wooden posts, a small stage, and a green artificial turf patch. There are windows on a brick building and a blue fence surrounding the playground.

    Lean-to, Stanbridge Primary School, Bristol

  • Empty wooden storage room with shelves and workbenches.

    Forest School Workshop, Charborough Road Primary, Bristol

  • Children sitting on logs around a fire pit, listening to a woman in a purple headscarf, inside a wooden outdoor classroom with a blackboard and a fence.

    Outdoor Kitchen , St Pauls Children's Centre, Bristol

  • Inside a small wooden structure with a green wall, a wooden table, shelves, a blackboard, and a small sink area.

    Outdoor Kitchen, Knowle West Children's Centre

  • Outdoor play area featuring a tree surrounded by a wooden bench, with two tire tables and wooden stumps for seating in the background.

    Tree Log Bench, Windwhistle Primary School, Weston-Super-Mare

A wooden pavilion surrounded by trees with autumn yellow, orange, and red leaves, in a park setting with fallen leaves on the ground and blue sky above.

Shelters & Seating for Public Parks, Visitor Attractions and Events Spaces.

Our talented carpenters design and craft bespoke shelters using both modern and traditional build techniques and materials to create spaces that complement their surroundings. Examples include:

  • Outdoor dining areas

  • Events spaces

  • Forest schools

  • Performance spaces

  • Park and picnic benches

  • Bird hides

See inspiration images below or get in touch to discuss your specific requirements.

“We love our new roundhouse and are already enjoying it. Thank you to everyone at Green Play Project for all your hard work and conscientious 
approach. We appreciate all you've done, and are very pleased we chose you for the project.”

Amy Stone - Impact Manager,
Tortworth Forest Centre CIC

  • Wooden observation tower or lookout structure with stairs, located in a natural outdoor setting near a body of water, surrounded by grass, bushes, and trees under a cloudy sky.

    Bird Hide, RSPB Ham Wall

  • A wooden shelter with a sloped metal roof, situated in a grassy field with a wooden fence in the background and a leafy tree on the right side.

    Park Shelter, Showfeild, Frome

  • A person sitting alone on a wooden picnic bench in an open grassy area, wearing a hoodie with the hood up and the word 'LOV DONT' printed on the back, surrounded by green trees and overcast skies.

    Community Bench, Showfield, Frome

  • Wooden shelter with a red roof in a park, with people sitting at picnic tables in the background and a food stand visible, surrounded by green trees and an overcast sky.

    Dining Area, Rushcliffe Country Park, Nottingham

  • Wooden picnic table with two benches on grassy ground, surrounded by trees and bushes.

    Rustic Picnic Bench

  • A rustic wooden pavilion in a wooded park with picnic tables and benches, surrounded by trees and branches, on a sunny day.

    Events Space, Tortworth Forest Centre, Tortworth

  • A backyard with a tiered wooden retaining wall filled with rocks, a wooden platform, and a tall wooden fence. In the background, there is a brick house with a grey roof and some trees.

    Amphitheatre, Residential Playground, Dinas Powys

  • A playground with swings, slides, and climbing structures, surrounded by green grass, trees, and benches on a sunny day.

    Wave Bench, California Country Park, Wokingham

  • Children's outdoor play area featuring small wooden houses, synthetic green grass, and large green and blue umbrella-shaped shade structures supported by wooden poles, with a brick building and ivy-covered wall in the background.

    Children's Ward Courtyard, Queens Hospital, Burton on Trent

  • Children and an adult at a playground with wooden benches, wood chip ground, and a surrounding fence, during daytime.

    Balance Bench, St Fagens Museum, Cardiff

  • Interior of a wooden structure with a raised floor, partially enclosed walls, and exposed roof framing with a corrugated metal roof. There is a small open doorway leading outside where a vehicle is parked.

    Outdoor Classroom, Hensbury Head, Dorset

  • Wooden shelter with a corrugated metal roof in a wooded area surrounded by green trees and foliage.

    Forest Church, St Mary's, Nanpantan

  • A wooden bench made of round logs with a flat backrest, situated outdoors on a ground of dirt and small rocks, partially shaded by dense green shrubbery.

    Retainer Edge Oak Bench, Westonbirt

An elderly woman with grey hair, sunglasses, and a bright yellow patterned dress sitting on a wooden park bench, smiling and enjoying the outdoors surrounded by trees and bushes.
A logo with a stylized bee and leaves inside a circular orange background.

Enhancing Public Playgrounds

We take a holistic approach to playground design, ensuring adequate shelter and seating is incorporated to provide a welcoming space for the whole community. Benefits include:

  • Seating provides a place for parents, carers and guardians to rest while supervising children. It encourages longer visits and allows adults to engage with the space without discomfort.

  • Benches and shelters create natural gathering points, promoting social interaction among children, parents, and community members. This helps foster a sense of community and belonging.

  • Shelters offer protection from the sun, rain and wind, allowing the playground to be used in various weather conditions. This improves accessibility and usability year-round.

  • Seating is essential for people with limited mobility, elderly visitors or those with disabilities. It ensures the playground is inclusive and welcoming for all ages and abilities. Research by Make Space for Girls has found that the inclusion of sociable seating makes playgrounds more appealing for teenage girls.

  • Strategically placed seating allows caregivers to monitor children effectively, helping maintain safety without interfering with independent play.

  • Shelters and seating provide resting or meeting points for schools, nurseries or other group outings, making the playground more suitable for educational and recreational use.

  • When adults and caregivers are comfortable, children are often allowed to play for longer periods, which increases physical activity, social development and imaginative play opportunities.

A small wooden shelter with a corrugated metal roof on a grassy field, surrounded by green hills and trees, with a wooden fence in the background.

Example Project: Showfield, Frome

We worked closely with Frome Town Council to ensure their new flagship playscape would be a welcoming and comfortable place for all the local community to spend time in. We integrated a variety of bespoke shelter and seating options into the design to achieve this.

At the top of the sloping site, a lookout shelter with integrated seating and accessible route overlooks the whole play space. At the lower end, a long community picnic bench with wheelchair access encourages social interaction and conversation. Simple oak benches are dotted throughout the playscape along the path to ensure there are places to rest and overlook key areas of play.

A group of children and adults gathered outdoors on a sunny day, sitting and standing around picnic tables with various items, engaged in activities like eating, talking, and preparing for a bike ride, with a grassy area and buildings in the background.
Three girls sitting on a large rock in a park on a sunny day, with a swing set and trees in the background.

In addition to the formal seating options, natural elements, such as boulders and oak logs were used to create informal seating that blended seamlessly into the playscape and double up as playful elements. The sloping typography of the site creates natural places to sit and open areas of grass encourage picnics. A trio of hammocks provide a playful hangout area and a stage creates a space for both performance and informal seating.

Three young girls playing on a large outdoor rope net playground in a grassy field with houses in the background on a sunny day.
Children and adults playing and sitting on wooden platforms and rocks in a grassy outdoor playground, with trees, houses, and cloudy sky in the background.
Children playing on a playground with a wooden climbing structure, parents sitting on grass nearby, on a sunny day with a clear blue sky.
View full Project

"Attention to detail has been a prevailing character of Green Play Project.” 

Nikki Cox, Partnership Lead, Frome Town Council

Interested in bespoke shelters or seating?

Our friendly team are here to answer any questions you have and discuss your needs. We’d love to hear from you.

Call on 07391 531 943

Email hello@greenplayproject.co.uk

Fill in the form below:

We’ll get back to you within 48hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm.

A boy playing on a tire swing in a wooded outdoor setting, smiling and pointing.