FAQ

When planning a playground and selecting equipment, the following parameters should be considered:

1. playground area
2. surface
3. age groups of children
4. capacity for simultaneous play
5. types of play functions
6. budget
7. project completion deadline

There are situations when the investor purchases equipment from a catalog that they like, but upon delivery faces the issue of insufficient free space for that equipment.

Each piece of equipment has its own height, and depending on its height, each requires a specific type of surface. It is important to plan in advance what type of surface will be used on the playground. For example, whether it will be poured rubber or river pebbles (kulir) affects the construction and dimensions of the load-bearing elements of the equipment, the foundation footings, and the construction preparation of the entire playground area.

Different types of equipment are intended for different age groups of children. Some equipment is suitable for the youngest children (nursery), others are intended for older children (kindergarten), and others for school-age children/teenagers.

Some equipment can only be used by one child at a time, while others accommodate groups of children. The number of children who will be on the playground simultaneously also guides the selection of equipment. To enable a wide range of children's activities, diverse equipment includes different play functions (swinging, climbing, sliding, crawling, balancing, movement, didactic games, communication, etc.).

The investor's budget and project deadline also influence the selection of equipment. Standard equipment can be delivered quickly, while custom-designed equipment tailored to the investor's vision requires longer preparation.

Based on the input parameters and considering applicable safety standards, we will propose a playground design where we will define the types and dimensions of equipment, how the equipment will be arranged on the designated area, and what capacity for simultaneous play can be expected, all to ensure the playground meets the needs of different target groups and provides safe conditions for children, along with diverse stimulating and developmental activities.

After defining the playground equipment, we proceed to prepare technical documentation, which we will provide to you so you can carry out construction preparation before installing the equipment. A site visit and communication between our colleagues, the investor, and the builders will certainly be organized to ensure the project implementation goes smoothly and within the planned deadlines.

The profession has defined guidelines for playground safety through standards EN 1176 and EN 1177. These guidelines regulate the production of playground equipment, the design of playgrounds, and the guidelines for maintenance and supervision of playgrounds by the owners. The assessment of safety risk levels is based on the indication of the likelihood of a possible and probable accident as well as the severity of possible injuries during the use of equipment and the playground as a whole. Since every activity carries some risk of injury, there is no piece of equipment on the playground that is completely risk-free. Even if the equipment complies with the relevant standards, a certain risk of injury will still be present.

Since children's play involves falls that occur on the playground, an anti-stress surface functions to reduce injuries and absorb impact during falls. The type and thickness of the anti-stress surface are determined by the fall height from a particular piece of equipment. For fall heights up to one meter, the anti-stress surface can be grass. For fall heights above one meter, the anti-stress surface can be river pebbles with a thickness of 4-8mm, wood mulch or chips, and rubber surface with a specified thickness depending on the fall height of the particular equipment. The rubber surface is also the highest quality surface.

The first thing you can notice on the market is the difference in price. Generally, the initial investment in poured rubber is more expensive per square meter compared to the same amount of rubber tiles. However, the difference in preparatory construction work and the quality of each product is undeniable. For example, to properly install rubber tiles, you need a reinforced concrete base 10-12 cm thick under the entire surface where the tiles will be laid. This certainly increases the total investment if you choose rubber tiles as your anti-stress surface.

Furthermore, since rubber "works" under the influence of weather conditions—it expands and contracts—dirt and dust will accumulate in the joints between tiles over time, which will eventually affect the permanent deformation of the purchased product. Also, rubber tiles are not all of the same thickness, which means that when selecting tiles, great care must be taken regarding their thickness relative to the fall height of each piece of equipment, so you might have different thicknesses of tiles on the same playground, leading to unevenness on the playground surface.

Here we can again mention the price, because a 6 cm thick tile will ultimately be more expensive per square meter for the investor than poured rubber of the same thickness. Poured rubber does not require demanding construction work, and the final product is compact, durable, and high quality.

The investment amount and the product's durability largely depend on the materials used for manufacturing. Materials that require minimal maintenance and guarantee long-lasting quality are naturally more expensive, but a higher initial investment will definitely pay off after prolonged use of playgrounds. The choice of materials should depend on the frequency of playground use, climatic conditions, and the location of the playground itself. Of course, near the sea, where there is a lot of sun and salt, UV-resistant HDPE materials are more suitable for use and easier to maintain than wood.

Custom-made equipment is certainly more interesting because it can be produced according to the investor's wishes and ideas, making the equipment unique and appealing. A major difference compared to serial production equipment is that for each custom-made product, workshop drawings must be created from scratch, static calculations performed, and complete project documentation prepared, which makes the final product more expensive for the investor.

There is a big difference in materials and production costs between professional playground equipment and garden products available in larger retail stores. Price is often the reason for choosing cheaper products, which means we have compromised the safety of the purchased equipment. When selecting products for personal use, we should definitely pay attention to the quality of materials to be able to choose a safe product for our backyard.

Example 1: Budget approx. €25,000

The price includes:
earth excavation, drainage, geotextile, concrete strip foundation, decorative pebbles, concrete curbs,
a slide with a climbing frame, a four-person swing, a spiral swing, a star carousel, a double-sided climbing frame,
solar lighting, a mixed waste bin, a bench with a backrest.