How Do You Build a Playground?

As the summer weeks wind down and the first day of school draws closer, I want to provide an update to you on Phase One of our Playground Renovation Project. We are excited to welcome everyone back to our campus next week, and to see our students begin taking advantage of the renovated space.

This endeavor kicked off over the summer with the completion of the foundational elements of this project that had to be done first. This has included:

Pouring a new sidewalk entrance path from the preschool playground entry gate to our building.
Clearing out the two recreation spaces we’ve identified where natural play structures will be installed.
Putting down the wood chips in these natural play areas.
Finishing much-needed repairs to the remaining playground asphalt.

Once these baseline steps were completed, we:

Created our garden and outdoor learning space.
Moved our sandbox into its new location in the preschool-focused play space.
Transitioned from working with the initial design team (Site Design) to now bringing in the build team (GRG Playscapes) to see this effort through to completion with the installation of the various elements of our renovated playscape.

Today, I invite you to check out the Q&A below with our build partner GRG Playscapes. John LaPointe, GRG Playscapes Co-Owner and Founder, was kind enough to answer a few questions about the project, where we are, and what our community can expect as we move forward. He also thoughtfully provided us with photos illustrating the types of structures GRG Playscapes installs, which we have included below. While these might not be exactly what we end up installing, as GRG custom builds structures for each project they undertake, they will give you a great sense of what to expect. Enjoy!

John LaPointe, Co-Owner and Founder of GRG Playscapes

What role is GRG Playscapes playing in this project?

One of GRG’s core values is Collaboration. The best spaces are those that marry the vision of the user with the expertise of the designers and builders. Your project is not only drawing on our expertise but is also pulling from a deep well of knowledge and design expertise provided by your design partner Site Design. GISC’s initial collaboration with Site Design set GRG up for a smooth transition that will allow us to move towards construction this fall. Our objective is to take the visioning and 2D concepts from Round 1 of design and bring it to life in a 3D world.

How do you transform a design vision into a fully realized playground?

GRG is incorporating the concept of the “Village and Adventure” into bringing your space to life. The “village” concept in GRG Playscapes is a thoughtfully designed play area that fosters community, creativity, and engagement among children by mimicking a small neighborhood. It features social spaces, open-ended play, natural materials, and inclusive designs to encourage social interaction, imaginative play, and a connection to nature. This concept integrates sand play, water play, playhouses, seating, trees and gardens, tricycle paths, and loose parts.

The concept of “adventure” centers around creating play environments that encourage physical activity, exploration, and challenge. It involves designing elements that promote gross motor skills such as climbing, jumping, running, and balancing. Adventure play areas typically include features like log climbers, rope courses, embankment slides, and boulder scrambles. These components provide opportunities for children to engage in risky play within a safe environment, fostering confidence, resilience, and physical strength. By incorporating natural materials and varied topography, adventure play areas also connect children with nature and stimulate their imagination and problem-solving skills.

GRG’s playscape build for GISC is incorporating elements and structures from both of these conceptual areas. In addition to the sandbox, water tables, and garden GISC already has in place, GRG will construct the natural play elements that will be added to the landscape later this fall. The material driving the nature-based theme of the playscape is the Black Locust tree, which GRG harvests, ages, debarks, and sands by hand before shipping to you. Black Locusts are extremely long-lasting and durable, providing the perfect foundation for the various features we’re installing.

Repurposing with purpose: GISC's new garden and outdoor classroom area features garden beds and outdoor seating the school already had on hand.

When we’re looking at how the funds raised for this project are leveraged to achieve completion, can you speak to what considerations can factor into decisions made about project components that can impact a final product?

Our objective is to provide the absolute most value possible within the given budget. What this means practically is that we see lots of options to create a desired impact. Log structures for example scale very easily from 0-100. Scaling up simply means layering on the value but each scale can meet specific needs. An example of this is using a durable material like the Black Locust wood to construct elements that will not need replacing as quickly, an important consideration in a place like Chicago where the weather takes a toll on outdoor structures of all sorts.

Village areas can be done quite simply with loose logs, simple construction materials, and makeshift seating; or you can dig in a sand play area, fabricate playhouses, built in seating, etc. There is a diverse array of options when it comes to sculpting a dynamic natural play environment, and we’re working with GISC to leverage elements from across this scope to create a playscape that is within the means available, and we will continue to do so over the course of the entire project as more funds are raised by the school for future phases of this renovation.

Asphalt removal and preparation for project renovation - June 2024.

While the final product is obviously exciting to anticipate, what are some of the components of this project that are critical to success but maybe not as shiny or exciting?

Building a successful playscape requires a lot of infrastructure work. This includes excavation to one foot below grade, a drainage system, and safety surfacing to meet local and national playground safety requirements. In addition, planting areas are carefully prepared so they can be successful long-term. Finally, all of our structures use concrete footings for strength. This is the unseen work that is critical for overall success

What can our students look forward to seeing when they return to school at the end of the month? What will they notice is different about our playground?

When the students arrive they will have access already to the garden and outdoor classroom space and more natural play surfaces that were installed during the pre-build phase of this project over the summer. The fun part of this process is that the students will get to watch the build construction in action, as playscape elements are installed starting in the fall!

Why should the adults in our students’ lives be excited to support this renovation?

For me, the catalyst for starting GRG Playscapes and venturing into playground design/construction is rooted in a profound appreciation for outdoor play and its benefits. Our company was initially a landscaping company helping clients with native plant gardening, but when my children were born, I wanted to give them the same opportunity to deeply engage in nature in the city that I had growing up in rural Wisconsin. As a parent, I was a firsthand witness to the explosion of creativity and physical exploration that nature-based play offered and began to dream of making this the focus of our business. And now here we are!

The idea of a natural playscape is as old as our human experience. It is at the heart of who we are as people. Fostering an environment that allows children to connect with nature and feel comfortable exploring their unique boundaries as they change throughout the days and years – whether those needs be cognitive, social, physical, or emotional – ensures each child will be free to come into their own. It is our belief that a great space experienced intimately in childhood will resonate with people throughout their life journey, and we actually saw that play out recently when a grandparent entered one of our spaces and was overwhelmed by how much a natural play area resonated with her, and her own lived experience.

I want to thank John for his generosity in offering us an insight into how his company plays a role in this project. If you'd like to learn more about GRG Playscapes, I invite you to check out them out here.