"playground"

Selfridges & Co’s iconic store at 400 Oxford Street first opened its doors in 1909 and now includes a range of experiences including a creative playground, late-night dining restaurants, a cinema, and even wedding services. It’s also one of the only stores on Oxford Street not to have its windows smashed by the Suffragettes back in the day.In partnership with Souvenir Scenic Studios we were tasked with manufacturing security shutters to cover 2 voids, one facing the Edward Mews road and the other for a temporary space on Orchard Street.The client was keen to maintain vision once the shutters were installed in preparation for a new exhibition area and therefore decided to proceed with our Tube & Link steel security shutter. Both security shutters were over 4m in width and can be operated electrically via an external key switch. Manual overrides were provided so that each shutter could be used in the rare event of a power cut. Our Tube & Link security shutter was the perfect solution with the ability to maintain 75% visibility while making sure both areas remained secure. Due to the size of both openings, a three-phase motor was provided.  The steel tubes, guides, and housing were all powder coated grey to meet the client’s requirements.

Plumstead Manor School is located in Royal London Borough of Greenwich and is a secondary school and sixth form offering a world-class education to young people.Covered outdoor areas have proved a strong asset for our schools throughout the pandemic, helping create extra covered space for year groups. With students spending more time outside school buildings there is an increasing demand for covered space and the Streetspace team were able to help Plumstead Manor School transform an underutilised playground area into valuable all-weather space for breaks and lunch times, complete with a snack shack unit.The Streetspace TRITON canopy with its multiwall polycarbonate roof system is a versatile design with column spacing and layout that can be configured to allow for external building features or below ground services while maintaining the structural design integrity. The Plumstead Manor School canopy is a great example of this with a 28 m length and a span width of 9.5 m narrowing to 6.5 m.The multiwall polycarbonate roof system has integral UV blocking and protects students from the sun’s harmful rays during the summer months, while providing shelter in the winter. TRITON canopy steelwork and rainwater systems are colour powder coated to coordinate with school’s colour scheme and adjacent building fabric.

We designed, supplied, installed, and surfaced this new playground in East London, with the project completing in December 2023. The customer was looking for strong, durable, and attractive looking equipment, and our stainless steel range from Spiel Bau was perfect for the requirement. Spiel Bau equipment comes with lifetime guarantees on stainless steel elements, and has been designed to provide excitement and challenge for children of all ages.The centrepiece unit, the Beeskow multiplay, features two decks linked by an inclined rope bridge, monkey bars, a fireman’s pole, traditional slide, rail slide, and an overhanging climbing wall. The stainless steel uprights combined with hardwood robinia decking and panelling gives a beautiful, architectural finish. The large size and wide variety of play features ensures a high number of children can use the structure at any one time, making it a great piece for parks in high use areas such as this.The multiplay was complimented by two stainless steel climbing frames, the first a crow’s nest look out tower and the second an linear, obstacle course style structure. A stainless steel rope end swing, Stainless Steel seesaw, Zip Wire, and two springers rounded off the equipment, all of which was surfaced by our inhouse surfacing teams with black and green fleck wet pour rubber. We loved working on this project, introducing high quality equipment and surfacing to a park in much need of redevelopment.

Canaan Lane Primary School has been built within the Grange Conservation Area in Edinburgh, an affluent suburb of early Victorian villas. The context of the project therefore called for thoughtful consideration of the neighbouring buildings and the use of a natural palette of materials.The bin store area for refuse and recycling collection occupies a prominent position between the front of the building and the low stone boundary wall to the street. Durability and quality were therefore prime considerations in the choice of product.The wheelie bin stores were made from Italia/100, a robust steel louvred product which provides total visual screening. The double leaf doors were supplied with extra heavy 100×100 SHS posts with base plate fixings to meet the special loading requirement for an environment with small children. A site survey ensured that the hinges were precisely positioned on the posts in a staggered arrangement, to suit the existing slab which was stepped across the rising ground.Each compound was divided with lateral bump rails to accommodate 1100 litre eurobins; in addition the back panel was protected from potential damage by an internal bump rail. Panels and posts were hot-dip galvanized and polyester powder coated RAL7043.Lang+Fulton also supplied Siena fencing around the playground boundaries; a railing fence which provides secure perimeter protection and features a conical top for a smart, traditional appearance.

London 2012 organisers always planned, as part of their Olympic legacy, to transform the Athletes’ Village into a purpose-built education and leisure campus with a specialism in performing arts comprising a nursery, primary and secondary school, sixth form and adult learning.While the main base for organising and managing teams from the record 206 nations that took part would readily convert to their new educational purpose, they needed a fencing solution to reduce the impact of noise from the Tube line that runs alongside.The SolutionContractor Osborne, Academy architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, and Lend Lease Group, responsible for the design, development and construction of East Village, chose Zaun’s DBS acoustic fencing for the job.Zaun used mixed recycled waste plastics to develop the DBS panels that can deflect noise, soak up flying fragments, and be incorporated onto Zaun’s extensive range of fencing post and panel systems to tailor specifiers solutions to their precise needs.The panels are easy to erect and suffer shallow repair needs, significantly reducing the whole life cost of the fencing system. In addition, the panels’ impressive acoustic-loss properties have been rated B3 with a 36dB loss under BS EN 1793-2.The Chobham Academy, which incorporates the Beth Tweddle Academy for gymnasts, has been dubbed ‘the school with an Olympic playground’, with swimming lessons in the aquatics centre and sports days in the Olympic Stadium.It sits on the edge of the new East Village neighbourhood with 2,818 new homes, community health facilities and over 10 hectares of public leisure space.

New Hall School is the only independent Roman Catholic school in the Diocese and one of the largest and also the oldest of its kind in the country.With a requirement for significant areas of new external covered space for play, break-out, student activities and dining; New Hall School were looking for a canopy provider that could demonstrate the level of bespoke design and construction capability to deliver on this. Although the canopy projects had been in the pipeline for a few years, the pandemic made the need for covered, well-ventilated space a requirement to enable the safe and orderly return of students to school in September 2020.An ORION Triple Barrel Vault Canopy provides 660 m² of cover for the Prep Playground creating a genuinely multi-use area for teaching, play and events. The architectural PVC membrane translucency provides diffused natural lighting and the tall centreline creates a spacious feel to the area. The Triple Barrel Vault design ensures that the maximum height of the canopy structure is reduced in keeping with the historic school buildings. Integrated rainwater systems enable maintenance access and the timber post cladding soften the appearance of the structural steelwork.. Rubber crumb surfacing throughout the canopy area provides a safe, clean and visually attractive area for the younger students.The second ORION Tensile Membrane Canopy alongside New Hall School’s Walkfares Performing Arts Centre is also a triple barrel vault design. At 42 m width and 22 m in length the canopy covers over 920 m² with the entire area surfaced in synthetic turf. Together these canopies create the largest sheltered performance and recreational areas in the School.

Pathfield School, a specialist-maintained SEN school in Barnstaple, Devon, has increased its pupil numbers for the new academic year.To help accommodate these extra pupils, the school has had a brand new, purpose-built building constructed by Wernick Group with the project being managed by Principal Contractor Mercury Construction.To complement the impressive interior of the new building, the school have provided students with a dedicated, outside play space to promote physical development, friendships, as well as social and emotional development.The initial project involved installing two free-standing mono-pitch canopies spanning a total of 57 square metres and a walkway spanning 66 square-metres around the new building. Twinfix were approached by Mercury Construction to design, manufacture, and install these structures.Once the building was complete and realising the benefits that a playground canopy could add to their outdoor area, the school approached Twinfix to provide them with a further canopy spanning a total of 43 square-metres.All the canopies have aluminium frames powder coated in anthracite grey RAL 7037. As this metal doesn’t rust in use, they will keep their good looks throughout their long life.The roof glazing consists of Twinfix Multi-Link-Panels NF fitted with tough 25mm multiwall polycarbonate. The NF denotes that these panels conform to the HSE’s recommended drop test ACR[M]001:2019, as recommended by HSG33.Avril Burrows, Premises Manager at Pathfield commented on the new canopies: “It looks absolutely amazing, and I am very happy! The installers made sure everything was clear and clean before they left, and the results are great. I think the students will be very happy with them.”

REQUIREMENT: Permanent wheelchair access from the new classroom entrance to the playground. The ramp required to comply with both part M and K of the building regulations.END RESULT:The Rapid Ramp included a 1:15 gradient and fully complies with documents M & K of the building regulations.The installation was completed during the summer holidays, ready before the new school year. Plus, it only took a few hours to fit and could be used immediately after.Unlike our steel Rapid Ramp System, a concrete ramp is time-consuming to install due to the drying time required and cannot be fitted in bad weather conditions, e.g. snow or rain,FEATURES INCLUDED: Infill Handrail - this product prevents users from climbing or falling through gaps.Yellow Tread - this is a safety feature designed to help those with impaired vision identify the nose of the ramp. Additionally, it helps users distinguish any level changes.Trombone Ends - these are added to the ends of a Rapid Ramp to prevent clothes catching.Mesh Platform - the self-draining mesh allows water to pass through rather than collect on the surface.Rest Platform – a rest platform at 5 metres is required to allow the user to pause.1100mm High Rail – these handrails attach to any level sections.Continuous Handrail - this handrail system ensures users always have support to hold onto.EXTRA FEATURE INCLUDED:Mid Rail - A lower handrail system designed to be used by young children and wheelchair users.Safetread Rubber Surface - this is a soft, slip-resistant surface that reduces the impact of falls. The product is made from the same materials used in soft play areas and is ideal for nurseries, schools, and public facilities. Plus, it is available in a range of colours and will continue to perform in all weather conditions.Fully Compliant Step Unit – complies with Document M and K of the building regulations.

Sector:Leisure & HealthcareClient:Houghton Regis Management CompanyDuration:48 weeksArchitect:NORR Consultants LtdCompletion Date:14 January 2022Value:£4.4mThe scheme involved the construction of three stand-alone buildings with: an office and marketing suite which will offer flexible co-working opportunities for the local community, a cafe, and a community hall. The three buildings making up the Farmstead are arranged around beautiful landscaping with a courtyard that has a nature-themed play area, outdoor seating and bike storage.Andrew Morris, Business Development Director for Ashe Construction said: “We’re delighted to be providing this fantastic new community facility. Using sustainably sourced timber and offsite methods of construction we have ensured the most sustainable of buildings that fits with the aspirations of all parties involved. We hope it plays a central part in building a caring and diverse community.”A PLACE FOR SOCIALISING AND COMMUNITYThe Farmstead is the heart and soul of Linmere, a space where everyone is welcome. Sitting within its own landscaped grounds, The Farmstead consists of three barns arranged around a central courtyard. Inside this lively hub you’ll find a café bistro, a community hall for hire, an expanding retail offering, a pop-up for hire, plus yoga and fitness classes to participate in and a nature-inspired children’s adventure playground.A PLACE TO MEET, DINE AND ENJOY!Roam, a brand-new café bistro, offers a high-quality daytime café, proudly serving Really Awesome Coffee, with a range of snacks, cakes, and hot food. This is complemented with an evening bistro serving a modern, quality menu along with a selection of wines and beer.Located in the heart of The Farmstead Linmere, offering residents and visitors alike a social venue open from morning until night, Roam is the go-to venue for coffee, delicious food, and a very welcoming atmosphere. Whether you’re looking for a quick coffee break, a working lunch or a relaxed dinner with friends and family, Roam has something for everyone.

Queen Mary’s Grammar school located in Walsall, West Midlands is one of the oldest schools in the country and proud of its traditions having been founded in 1554 by Mary Tudor. Now a member of the Mercian Multi-Academy Trust, the school is committed to shaping a new and exciting learning landscape for current and future students. The school was looking for a solution to turn an outside dining area into a covered space students could use year-round. The area situated between school buildings was formerly an old car park converted into a playground, and was often unusable during inclement weather with the added problem of standing rainwater.A range of canopy designs are available to cover spaces like this, and after discussing design concepts with the school, Streetspace installed a stunning 20m x 8m ORION Barrel vault tensile membrane canopy, providing shade from the sun, UV protection and cover from the rain. The soft membrane fabric helps to create an ambient environment while also absorbing the sounds of rain, voices and echo. To overcome the standing water concerns, aluminium guttering and downpipes matching the structure were added, allowing rainwater to flow off the canopy and into the existing drains.The new dining area presents an impressive and stylish seating area for students and staff alike. The aesthetically pleasing blue steel frame and Ocean Blue canopy, coupled with the symmetric form and clean minimalist design means the structure integrates seamlessly with the adjacent buildings, and makes good use of this valuable outdoor space. The one piece PVC fabric membrane means no joins to attract dirt and is combined with a PVDF surface coating to stop dirt getting ingrained and help reduce maintenance.The Barrel Vault design provides a wide, clear-span area with the tall centreline helping to maximise the sense of space. The space therefore benefits from minimal obstruction, creating free flow of movement and a flexible covered area that can be used for a wide range of different applications.

C-TEC’s revolutionary new evacuation alert system, EVAC-ALERT, has been specified for a new purpose-built residential building in London.Located in the Elephant and Castle area of the London Borough of Southwark, Joyce Newman House is an 8-storey block of 40 spacious living spaces commissioned by Leathermarket JMB, Southwark’s largest resident-managed housing organisation. The affordable-housing development also features landscaped gardens, an interactive playground and a communal kitchen garden for residents to grow their own vegetables.Specified and supplied by Churches Fire & Security working alongside Blu Electrical Installations Ltd, C-TEC’s EVAC-ALERT has been designed to comply with the new BS 8629, which recommends evacuation alert systems be installed in all new blocks of flats over 18 metres to assist the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) in evacuating part or all of a building in an emergency.The system consists of a 2-loop control panel connected to a host of single and multi-way interface units, self-testing sounders and visual indicators. Simple and intuitive with manual controls to allow firefighters to easily operate the evacuation alert devices located inside flats on a zone by zone or floor by floor basis, the panel is stored in a secure vandal resistant cabinet which can only be accessed by the FRS using a special copy-protected key.David Collins, Project Manager at Churches Fire & Security, said: “Evacuation alert systems ensure firefighters can alert occupants in a building of the need to evacuate if a fire gets out of control. The EVAC-ALERT system we’ve specified provides peace of mind for residents and, crucially, also demonstrates that building management have taken every precaution possible to protect the people residing in the property. Our client is delighted with the system.”Certified to all relevant EN54 product standards, EVAC-ALERT is powered by C-TEC’s CAST protocol and fully compatible with ENVISION, its powerful new cloud-based remote access data management software which can be used to provide duty holders with a verifiable audit trail of system activity and device testing.

In 2020 the River Wye broke its banks and flooded nearby Monmouth Prep School in Wales causing severe damage to the entire ground floor of the Prep School, playground and surrounding fields. According to the latest reports on the impacts of climate change, flooding caused by severe and frequent rainstorms is the UK’s most pressing climate-change risk and could affect millions of people causing extensive damage, disruption and loss. So, once the school was back on its feet, we were delighted to work with their insurance broker, Hettle Andrews, to make sure the property was protected against future flooding. Monmouth Prep School, MonmouthMonmouth Prep School is a fully co-educational Prep School in Wales for children aged three to 11-years-old. The independent school is one of Wales’ leading prep schools and offers boarding and day attendance to pupils in modern and contemporary teaching spaces which encapsulate the very best of traditional, independent education.  We worked with the school’s insurance broker and project facilitator, Hettle Andrews, who work primarily with schools, universities, colleges and charities. The challengeThe school had previously had minor issues with flooding as the River Wye is situated at the bottom of its garden. However, the flood of 2020 was the most devastating. The river broke its banks and flowed into and through the school to the dual carriageway situated on the other side. The flood damaged the entire ground floor of the school, the playground and surrounding fields and the whole school had to be urgently evacuated. No warning: the school is surrounded by a flood bank and had flood gates installed in 2002 however there was no early warning system in place to get the flood gates closed in time.Extensive damage: the 200-year-old school building sustained catastrophic damage and needed large-scale structural repairs to be restored.Sanitation issues: the waste from the surrounding farmlands was washed into the school along with the floodwater, mud and debris causing not only damage but also sanitation issues. Inconvenience: the clear-up process included using five 40 foot skips which were filled with damaged items such as furniture, clothing, educational equipment and floating debris.Disruption: the school had to close for nearly seven months to clear the debris, remove all the damaged school equipment, clean the entire premises, sanitise and eventually re-build.The solution;Andel’s FloodAlert – one of our innovative, industry-unique flood defence solutions which provides an early flood warning for properties not covered by the Environment Agency flood warning service. FloodAlert provides real-time information on rising water levels and automatically sends out early warnings. The robust and reliable system is easy to install and set up and once in, tracks surface water levels for up to 15km from a gateway. This means the school now has:A cost-effective, real-time local flood alert system with three alert levels A sensor which sends SMS and email alerts to give them time to take action to protect their pupils and the school Optional live monitoring on a cloud-based portal, via any device with internet connectivityA system that can communicate with an unlimited number of designated usersCommunication via a low-power LoRaWAN network. The resultEarly warning: the school now has an effective early warning system for rising surface water. Safety first: the school now has safety measures in place to protect its pupils aged three to 11-years-old. Confidence: the early warning system gives the school staff around six hours from the first notification of rising waters to close the flood gates allowing plenty of time to evacuate the children as well as any equipment. Peace of mind: the staff at the school feel relieved knowing the water levels are constantly being monitored at the property especially because they are so close to the banks of the River Wye. Community: we are always quick to try and accommodate schools that require our services as we know they are the centre of the community and provide safe havens to many. We are proud to have been involved in this project alongside Hettle Andrews and to have been able to install our FloodAlert product on a site with such a rich history and provide the school with an effective early warning system plus peace of mind.What the customer said;The 2020 floods were devastating and left us with the fear that it could happen again. Having such little children on site, it was very stressful knowing there was no early warning system in place. Now we have a good five or six hours from the first notification of rising waters to close the flood gates, evacuate the children safely, and make the necessary arrangements to protect the building. With all these flood defence measures in place, we hope to never have a repeat of the destruction and school closure of 2020.Rob Alexander, Caretaker, Monmouth Prep School

Copenhagen’s Amager Bakke is a visionary project in Denmark that doubles as a recreational playground and a waste-to-energy plant.The towering structure is over 280 feet high, has an estimated cost of $670 million and is a part Copenhagen’s commitment to become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025. Part of the facility is already on line.The waste-to-energy plant, a giant incinerator that burns household garbage to generate heat for approximately 160,000 households and electricity for 62,500 homes, began operating in March. The recreational component is still under construction.Kalwall® translucent sandwich panels provided a critical solution in this truly global project, with their aesthetic beauty, energy efficiency and, most importantly, their best-in-class explosion-venting properties.Kalwall panels are used in areas of the building where a potentially volatile event could occur. The panels work to vent pressure out of the building, allowing it to withstand an explosion without collapsing roofs or floors. The panels are designed to release from their mounting system, but remain attached to the side of the building to avoid becoming falling debris. The interior of the panels are shatterproof and include a Fiber-Reinforced Polymer(FRP) face sheet that can be customied to withstand 230 ft-lbs (312J) of impact.Staying close to the project’s mission of being environmentally conscious, Kalwall panels provide dramatic savings in energy consumption through exceptional thermal and daylighting performance that reduces heating costs and artificial light usage.Working through Sipral, a leading supplier of external building envelopes based out of Prague, the panels were delivered on schedule and required no on-site modifications. Amager Baake was designed by the highly-acclaimed architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and has the world watching as it merges two completely different applications.BIG founder Bjarke Ingels hopes that Amager Bakke will “change public perceptions of what a public utility should be” by providing a social and physical infrastructure.Amager Bakke provides Copenhagen with a rooftop ski slope that is comprised of 1,600 feet of trails, as well as 10 running and walking trails. There is also a 260-foot climbing wall along the facade.Ingels said the concept of a structure that brings together two diverse interests can be lasting. “If you make a building that remains relevant to the people living around it, and using it and inhabiting it, it can last forever,” Ingels said in an interview with CNN Style.Photography: Christoffer Regild