Halvorsen Architects have just completed phase I of a new playground at Happy Days’ Eskbank nursery school. All the oak and larch trees were sourced from nearby woodland – trees that otherwise have no commercial value and were due for clearance. A tree lorry carrying all the wood just sneezed through the nursery gates and the on-board crane manoeuvred the trees seamlessly into place.
It remarkably only took three days for Leslie Winthrop’s team to position all the trees – either in meter deep holes in the ground or laid above ground – and build the structure to carry the various decks. All is now ready for phase II – decking and balustrades.
The play pieces follow a path from one end of the playground to the other, with several choices of route, and integrating some of the existing structures along the way. My favourite piece is ‘Nessie’ – the bendy oak surfacing from the ground.
