APPLE CRATE INSPIRED PLAY TOWER

A major apple-growing town in Victoria has received a one-of-a-kind play space, featuring a six-metre play tower with an exciting ten-metre slide from adventure+.

Engaged by Mount Alexander Shire Council, adventure+ created the central pieces of play equipment in Stanley Park North, a recently developed play space in Harcourt, Victoria. As a local Australian manufacturer, adventure+ worked closely with local landscape architects, Karoline Klein and Justine Image, to create a unique play tower and other equipment that suited their vision perfectly. 

Watch key project contributors Karoline Klein, Justine Image, and Kim Whitehouse speak about the thought process behind the space in the below video:

The vision for this space was to create an amazing and exciting play area for the local community that was reflective of Harcourt’s culture and history. Bringing this vision to life was an incredible collective effort in which adventure+ was excited to play a key role.

With a six-metre play tower incorporating a thrilling ten-metre slide, the play space at Stanley Park North cannot be missed. The top of the tower provides an excellent viewing platform to enjoy views of Mount Alexander and the surrounding area. The beauty of the tower design is that it is easily accessible by adults as well as children.

The tower is designed with a nod of appreciation towards Harcourt’s rich fruit-growing history, with traditional apple crates being the inspiration for the play equipment design. While timber paneling on the tower reflects the conventional apple crates, engraved plastic panels reflect the modern crates used today. More finer details on the tower, such as the apple motifs engraved into the plastic and perforated sheet metal, as well as the apple names inscribed into the timber paneling, create a connection to the rich fruit growing history.

Nestled among beautiful established trees, the design called for careful colour selection. Including timber in the structure provided a natural feel, while the brightly coloured steel and slide ups the fun and lively vibes.

Like many projects, the landscape architects faced the challenge of achieving something unique and special while meeting budget requirements. Thankfully, the adventure+ customised modular system helped get a perfect balance. The landscape architects were given the freedom to express their creative flair by changing materials, components, and other design elements, while maintaining a standardised structure that is key to an economical and Standards compliant outcome.

Not game enough to try climb the tower? There’s also plenty of other play equipment to enjoy, including a Gyro multidirectional swing, community swing, and multi-user rocker.

Thanks to the adventure+ tried and tested modular system, the on-site construction took only three days to complete. This process allows virtually all the fabrication to be completed even before installation begins on-site. As well as saving time, this also greatly reduces the overall cost compared to custom-built, bespoke playgrounds.

To view the three days’ work in under two minutes, check out the adventure+ time-lapse video below.

Learn more about the projects and products from adventure+ via the links below.