Adelaide’s Thorndon Park Reserve Playground has taken out top honours at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture (AILA) National Awards, winning the National Award of Excellence for Play Spaces.
The annual awards recognise the best parks, open spaces and playgrounds in Australia. The award-winning playground opened in December last year after undergoing a $3.1m redevelopment, designed by JPE Design Studio.
Thorndon Park Reserve Playground was applauded by the jury as being “an exemplary project that illustrates how landscape architects can deliver diverse and unique play experiences while remaining grounded in local site and community need.”
“Here, sculptural play elements are formed to represent local birdlife, with structures remaining open to interpretation and allowing space for imaginative play,” the jury said.
“Planting has been selected to support the local bird and insect life, with priority given to habitat species. A targeted engagement program has ensured that this play space is designed for its particular community and connects to surrounding site uses.”
The ‘super playground’ celebrates the diverse and plentiful bird life that Thorndon Park is known for with play zones inspired by flight and nesting, as well as habitat types and food sources.
The bird theme was chosen with respect to the Kaurna history and as a testament to the natural beauty of biodiversity in the Reserve.
“The playground is inclusive, with consideration for both children and their guardians. Additionally, the designer worked with a local Kaurna representative to respectfully integrate language and culture. Each sculptural bird element includes a Kaurna name,” the jury said.
“With bespoke elements that are connected to the unique place and community, this minimal yet sensitive design ensures many playful moments while also demonstrating that playgrounds can be design-led – they can be beautiful as well as fun.”
In fact, the vibrant and bustling playground has four bird structures, each designed with an activity in mind. The hen is intended for water play, the wren for climbing, the crane for swinging and the most ambitious and stand-out project: the giant heron slide.
Incorporating elements of creative play, inclusivity, and story-telling, this innovative playspace is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. It provides a range of play settings that encourage interaction, self-expression, and a sense of wonder and is tailored for both children and adults.
Two other South Australian projects also achieved success and won Landscape Architecture Awards in this category.
Aspect Studios, Southfront, and City of Burnside were commended for their work on the Kensington Wama- Kensington Gardens Reserve, and TCL also took out one of these awards plus a Climate Positive Design Award for their creation of the South Parklands Wetland, along with a Small Projects Landscape Architecture Award for their Fire Circle.
To read more about the AILA Awards, click here.
For more about Thorndon Park, click here.
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