How do you stage a school playground project over several years?
A school does not need to improve its entire campus at once.
Outdoor projects can be delivered progressively as funding and priorities allow. The key is to make sure each stage contributes to a coherent longer-term plan rather than creating a collection of unrelated projects.
Start by understanding the whole site
Before deciding what to build first, consider how the broader school grounds work.
Map:
- active play
- passive and quiet areas
- outdoor learning
- sport
- circulation
- gathering areas
- existing trees and vegetation
- shade
- drainage
- accessibility
- future buildings or projects
The NSW Department of Education’s own school-grounds learning resources recommend mapping how different areas are used by students, teachers, community users and wildlife, and recognise that one part of the grounds may have several functions. That is useful planning advice regardless of the type of school.
How should the first stage be selected?
Start where the investment creates the greatest benefit.
That might be:
- a heavily used playground
- an area with poor amenity
- an outdoor learning opportunity
- a drainage or landscape problem
- an area connected to available funding
- a project that enables later stages
The first stage should work immediately, even if subsequent stages are years away.
Avoid creating a patchwork campus
Without a larger plan, schools can accumulate isolated equipment, shade structures, seating and landscape projects over many years. Each may solve an immediate problem, but together they may not create a strong campus.
Planning ahead allows circulation, planting, play, learning and future infrastructure to work together.
Does this require an expensive masterplan?
Not always. The level of planning should be proportionate to the project.
The important thing is simply to look beyond the immediate project boundary before committing the first stage. That can prevent today’s investment from restricting tomorrow’s opportunity.
Looking for something else?
About Urban Landscape Projects
Urban Landscape Projects designs and builds outdoor environments for schools and childcare centres across Greater Sydney. We have operated since 1990, with more than 35 years of experience, 1,100+ completed projects and 30+ industry awards. We work with schools and childcare operators from planning and design through to construction and handover.
Published by Urban Landscape ProjectsSchools guidance, part of the ULP Knowledge Centre.