International Schoolyard Design Competition
The 13-Acres International Design Competition was motivated by the question, why are we designing schoolyards that could barely entertain a chimpanzee? The question was answered with 254 entries from 32 countries around the globe.
The schoolyard site was located in East Clayton, a sustainable community planned for 13,000 people, in Surrey, British Columbia located between Vancouver and the US border. The University of Guelph, School of Landscape Architecture submission explored the schoolyard as a site for ecological rejuvenation, expression and education.
The design combines indoor and outdoor classrooms, play spaces, parkland, forests and community gardens and facilities together on one site. The Play Program integrated a wide range of social, physical, cognitive and emotional play opportunities into the schoolyard.
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Significant Landscape Architects and landscape architecture firms that have dedicated themselves to natural playground design and Schoolyard planning including earthartist. Natural playground designers have created distinctive natural playground and schoolyard designs across North America. Mike Salisbury of earthartist is a Landscape Architect from Guelph Ontario, Canada specializing in Natural playgrounds and outdoor classrooms for K-12 schools, communities, and childcare centres. Natural playgrounds are outdoor learning environments and outdoor classrooms, K-12, schools, community, childcare centres, early childhood education, all encourage gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, creative, social, and fantasy play. Our unique playground designs use natural features and materials to create fun, challenging, and safe natural playgrounds and outdoor classrooms. Natural play environments offer maximum and sustaining play value for far less money than manufactured playgrounds and beautify their surroundings at the same time. Natural playgrounds teach children how to re-connect with the natural environment, and to take pleasure in all that nature has to offer. Natural playgrounds can be considered part of the beautification and/or the green schools program. Living willow structures present a range of options. Our designs meet the guidelines and standards for playground safety established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Playground Safety Inspectors ensure that natural playgrounds meet or exceed accessibility standards, provide access by ramp, transfer, and groundcover systems that conform to ASTM and proposed ADA playground accessibility standards.
