The city of Boulogne-sur-Mer has redesigned its famous Place de France square, located in a residential area in the heart of the city centre. The aim of the redesign was to improve the living and environment by providing new facilities for families, allowing among other things easier access to local shops and creating new leisure areas including a playground. Proludic was awarded the contract to create a new bespoke installation inspired by the city’s maritime activities, featuring a large whale and its calf as the main elements.
An area designed to encourage children to explore the world of marine mammals.
Boulogne-sur-Mer is a coastal town on the English Channel and so a sea theme was a natural choice for this play area. This theme is also popular with children as the maritime world provides great scope for imagination and exciting activities. Children can roleplay and be pirates, explorers or fishermen and enjoy shared adventures as they learn about their surroundings.
The whale and her calf
The central feature in the playground is the whale (J2696), a large structure from the Aquatica range designed for children from 2 years of age and with a capacity for up to 70 children.
The whale provides a real motor skills trail and it is divided into 3 play areas separated by walkways. Each area has play elements installed inside and outside the structure to allow access or exit: climbing walls, wave ladder, curved ladder, slides, speed slide..
- The whale’s headspace consists of hammocks suspended from nets. It provides an ideal rest area for children on the playground. At the top, children can look down over the suspended hammocks from a rubber platform. This platform can be accessed from the front of the structure via a large climbing wall or from the right-hand side using a wave ladder.
- The whale’s body is the central access point to the play structure with the chimney net, a structure of nets allowing access to and exit from the upper part of the whale.
- The whale’s tail consists of hanging seats and features a wide flexible rubber platform that can be accessed from the back of the structure via a large climbing wall or on the left-hand side using a curved ladder.
Two sea-themed play panels are also integrated into the play structure.
Toddlers who are too young to enjoy all the activities on the whale can have fun on the whale calf installed beside it. This has a slightly sloping climbing wall and a small slide.
The play area, therefore, accompanies children as they grow, starting by playing on the whale calf and then continuing their discoveries on the whale as they grow older.
These two main structures are complemented by more traditional play activities from our Aquatica range: fish, boat, dolphin springers and a net pyramid.
A strong identity was needed for the design and also to reflect the theme. The ground surface was therefore completely customised to the theme of the sea. The colours and shapes on the ground reinforce the journey to the heart of the marine world.
The inhabitants of Boulogne-sur-Mer now have a wonderful play area capable of accommodating high numbers of children and offering over 55 play activities.
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If you have a play project that you would like to discuss then please contact us on 0115 982 3980 or email us at info@proludic.co.uk.
