The People’s Park, Waterford, Ireland

In June this year, Waterford, Ireland, added a teenage challenge to the People’s Park: a KOMPAN ICON play area was erected next to the toddler and primary school grounds.

Local teenagers were the first to use the equipment and said they would definitely be back. As said one of the teenage girls: “At last we have somewhere to go with stuff that is designed for us. I really like the games.”

To the adult there were important observations to be done. Olivia Wall from Go Play, Ireland, tells: “What we noticed when observing the young people present was that the children team worked and interacted, even across nationalities and languages. When playing games such as the Colour Catch kids were constantly talking to each other and pointing out where the nodes were flashing.”

The intergenerational aspect of playgrounds is always interesting and there is a worldwide interest among planners in places that can help close the “generation gap” of children. However, young people sometimes stay away from playgrounds when the younger children are too abundantly present.

Says Olivia Wall: “The young children used the equipment without taking much notice of the gaming element. Sometimes they are even in the way of the big kids on purpose and try to disturb their games. There was a slight difference in the boys and girls’ use of the equipment as well: the boys tended to climb higher to reach a node, sometimes even take over this task for the girls.”

Both parents and teenagers were thrilled with the new playground. The teenagers told that they would definitely be back and they asked where the next playground this sort would be.