In late 2020, after taking a look at our Education Page, Debbie (a representative of the Marchant-Holliday School) contacted us through our website using our query form.
Our special education school is looking to create a brand new play area and would love for Home Front to work with us on it.
We followed up with a phone call to introduce ourselves, get a better idea of what she was after, and then after a really helpful chat we organised a site visit for March 2021.
Both Debbie and the head teacher showed us the plot of land they had decided on - a lovely open space behind the school, nestled between two great vantage points including King Alfred’s Tower. During our tour of the area we were able to reassure them that the enclosing forest would be no problem, and that we could design the play area for the space. During this visit their passion for the school and students really shone through.
It's rare for us to not terraform the ground in some capacity as usually, as is the case with this project, there will be tree roots and rocks buried beneath the surface but that’s nothing our team can’t handle.
Being a special education school they had a particularly strong focus on the pupils and what they would enjoy. Their aim for this playground was for it not to be another classroom, but a completely separate environment that the children could see as their own space.
One of Debbie's goal for the play area:
A focus on a challenging climb but with safety in mind. Something that will stimulate the kid's imaginations but doesn't cross the line with risk.
The balance of a fun and challenging climb paired with creating a safe and not-too-risky play area is something that we’re used to handling. We have designed for all ages and abilities so finding the right balance is a case of understanding the school, all the way down to their ethos.
In terms of how it was going to look, we often try to incorporate the history of the area into our designs, so when we saw King Alfred’s Tower we were excited to use it in our design! We used the ship to help inspire imagination, as well as act as a division between classroom and playground.
After the site visit we then explored the ideas further and created the brief and design proposal, two documents that start to make the project more tangible.
The Brief summarises all of the details so that both sides have a point of reference for future development going forward. The Design Proposal is always fun because it's the first chance for the school to see their ideas come to life. It’s one thing seeing it in your head but designing concepts for the space takes it to the next level.
It’s very rare that a project doesn’t involve some adjustments, and we encourage our clients to be honest and share any feedback - there’s no harm in saying you don’t like something! This is a collaborative effort and we can make any changes quickly, often sending a revised version within a day or two. Once we’re ready, we make a start on the 3-D visuals, where the designs speak for themselves.
The final meeting helps put any lingering questions to bed, taking you through the render and going through all the play equipment. We had the design finalised by the end of March and then installation set for July during the school holidays!
Sunny! It was hot, but not like the heat we had experienced the year before, and because it was the holidays we had the school to ourselves which really sped up the process. Installing a playground at a school often leads to lots of curious pupils, so we try to build whilst being as mindful as possible of the staff and students. However, with this project we could really get stuck in and in total the installation lasted 3 weeks, and both sides couldn’t have been happier.
Nothing that we hadn't accounted for, we knew the ground was gonna be a bit tricky to start with given the roots and rocks but that was easy enough to overcome. Of course there was also the heat, three weeks in the open sun isn't anything to be laughed at! Fortunately we had the trees from the forest to keep us shaded and plenty of sun cream and water to keep us going.
Of course the most obvious one is the way that it looks! Not only does it have that visual wow factor and create so many opportunities for the students to have fun, but the build and design really works with the space… the autumnal leaves in the photos create a particularly beautiful scene! It really shows the hard work put in on both sides to make this possible.
Another one that sticks in our minds is how happy the Marchant-Holliday school was and the fun we imagine the students to be able to have.
The key standout for me is just how pleased the Marchant-Holliday School was, and still is, with this project. They told us how happy they were for choosing Home Front and that they knew that our kit would compliment their school. I think that’s what sticks out, just how much trust they put in us from the first inquiry. - Luke Jay, Managing Director
In summary, this project was a lovely one and we struggle to think of a better showcase of all the ideals Home Front represents. Something that sticks with us all these years later was just how much trust the Marchant-Holliday School had in us - they chose us based on the quality of our equipment and how it timelessly blends into environments. It's no mistake you see it across all our platforms - we’re proud of this project and the impact it has on people.