Canopy Kids Climbing Structures
The prompt for this project was to design a product related to fitness and recreation. What started as an idea for a single climbing structure inspired by nature gradually became an entire forest of climbing structures complete with a rope ladder "canopy."
Individual Project
Completed at SCAD | 2020
Defining the Problem
According to the National Recreation and Parks Association, kids today spend on average 4 - 7 minutes playing outside every day and about 7 1/2 hours engaging with digital media.
Defining the Opportunity
There is an opportunity to use playgrounds as a means to safely introduce and encourage outdoor play and exploration.
Safety First
No need for parents to worry.
Outdoor Fun
Get kids active outside.
Controlled Risk
Kids learn through play.
Ideation
Sketching
Through sketch ideation, I explored form and function and worked to come up with new ways for kids to interact with playground equipment.
Prototyping
Model-Making
With these preliminary models, I developed abstract form explorations into more refined concepts as I continued to investigate how to bring organic, natural shapes into artificial playground environments.
Scale Model
To Scale
Once I had a final direction, I used a scale model to get a sense of how each structure operates three-dimensionally and fits in spatially with the others.
Final Design
Full Playground
Kids are encouraged to interact with the climbing structures similarly to how they would interact with a real tree, making nature exploration more accessible.
Assembly
Metal climbing platforms are pre-welded and shipped as separate pieces so that they can be easily assembled and bolted together onsite.
Signage
Playground signs are informational for parents with safety guidelines and educational for kids with fun facts about trees.
Sizing
One size does not fit all. Climbing structures are aligned to national safety regulations to accommodate ages 3-13.
