TAKING FUN INDOORS

Making indoor fun bright and colourful, wetpour rubber surfacing also ensures it’s safe.

Ice cream and play are serious business in any world, but never more so than at Uncle Buck’s Play Parlour in Geelong, Victoria.

A bespoke fun zone, Uncle Buck’s is a part of Buckley’s, a dining and entertainment club that features a series of bars, a bistro, fully equipped function room, conference rooms, ice-creamery and now a children’s play centre.

Adjoining Uncle Buck’s Ice-creamery, this bespoke fun zone is architecturally designed to capture the imagination of children of all ages. Featuring multilevel activity areas, the play parlour includes a theatrette, digital zone, small rock-climbing wall and much more. A toddler space comprises low-level climbing mounds to test the skills of littlies, while the junior area features larger mounds, a slide and balance bridge.

For bigger adventures, those aged 6 years and older can try The Tower. Not for the faint- hearted, The Tower reaches approximately eight metres high and offers two slide options for climbers to get back down to solid ground.

And if that’s not enough, there’s also a Mini Ninja Warrior zone. Action-packed with play challenges, this area could wear out even the most active kids. It includes an obstacle course, monkey bars and jumping platforms.

So how do you make all this fun safe? EPDM wetpour rubber surfacing, of course!

Designed by bespoke playspace specialist ArchiPlay, Uncle Buck’s Play Parlour was brought to life using colour and texture from wetpour rubber surfacing supplied and installed by Rubberwork, specialist in safety surfaces.

Using the adjoining ice-creamery for inspiration, rubber play surfaces spread across the various zones in sherbety gelato colours of pinks, greens and oranges. Enhancing the play experience and generating a lively ambience, the climbing mounds of wetpour rubber are shaped like giant scoops of melting ice-cream, complete with sprinkles and toppings.

The custom-designed, integrated playspace blends seamlessly with the existing structures while enhancing the connection to the ice-creamery through its fun colour scheme. The innovative use of wetpour rubber not only meets safety standards but makes much of the bespoke play equipment a reality, due to its flexibility.

Suitable for a variety of indoor and outdoor applications, including wet zones, wetpour rubber is a robust material that is porous, durable and versatile. Comprised of rubber granules bound together with a polyurethane resin, when poured, the material forms a seamless surface.

Because of the composition of wetpour, it can be installed in, around and over equipment, making it easy to apply around existing structures, pathways or fixtures, or creating new three-dimensional shapes — like melting ice-cream scoops!

Trowelled into position, wetpour doesn’t need a completely level surface to be effective. It also comes in an extensive range of colours, which means you can match it to any design scheme
or use it to create a specific decorative effect.

Easy to clean, hygienic, resilient, suitable
for high-traffic areas and sustainable in extreme outdoor weather conditions, EPDM wetpour surfacing not only reduces injury from potential falls, its design possibilities are near to endless.

PROJECT PARTICULARS
Client Buckley’s
Location Geelong, Victoria
Building Design DWH Aitken and Associates
Playspace Design Archiplay
Surfacing Supply & Install Rubberworx