- Partners
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CLIENT: Hamilton City Council
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Brodie Hailwood
CONTRACTOR: Fluhler Contracting Ltd
- Location
- Hamliton, New Zealand
“Having this world-class playground near the centre of Hamilton Kirikiriroa will not only encourage play in those who feel they can’t use our traditional playgrounds it revolutionises the bounds of play and how we could be more inclusive with our future designs.”
Ex Hamilton City Council Community Committee Chair Councillor Mark Bunting
Bringing magic to everyone and every body.
It was a bold new step that put Hamilton City Council in partnership with the Magical Bridge Trust to deliver Hamilton’s first fully inclusive playground. The collaboration focused on the core design principles and applied them to this barrier-breaking playground: designing inclusivity, human-centred design practices, and structured play zones for all capabilities.
New Zealand’s first Magical Bridge Playground at Claudelands Park positions Hamilton as forward-thinking leaders in this space. Nearly one in four New Zealanders, 1.1 million people, have a disability, visible or not. Although Hamilton boasts many wonderful playgrounds, only a small percentage of them have some form of inclusive or accessible activities. A Magical Bridge Playground removes barriers for all individuals and families with physical and neurological differences and was conceptualised through leading-edge research to produce an innovative and successful inclusive play space.
Collaboration
Four years in the making, Magical Bridge Playground is one of five in the world, the first outside of San Francisco. A collaboration between Magical Bridge New Zealand – a charitable trust started by passionate members of the disability community – and Hamilton City Council, it has been designed to allow all ages and abilities the opportunity to play together.
The Magical Bridge Foundation is dedicated to creating playgrounds and parks for more inclusive communities. These multigenerational spaces are thoughtfully designed to ensure guests of all ages and all abilities experience the magic of play, community connections and belonging. The Foundation researched how best to lay out their playgrounds, discovering that predictability in spaces matters. Visitors, research discovered, benefit from knowing that each area of the playground brings a different experience. This became a defining feature of Magical Bridge playgrounds: ‘play zones’.
Brodie Hailwood, Fluhler Contracting and the Playground Centre brought to the brief an understanding that play is more than just physical activity, that it is a holistic experience. Play is vital in children’s development, both neurologically and socially. The effects of play are seen in its cognitive, community, behavioural and physical benefits. Playing alongside those of varying abilities increases empathy, improves cooperation, and creates a greater sense of belonging. With a laser-focus on these touchstones, the designers created a play space for everyone. Encouraging adventures and play that is often denied to people who have disabilities, the Magical Bridge Playground is designed so that no matter if you’re disabled or not, anyone can play.
And the driving ideology behind the Magical Bridge Foundation is that there will eventually be no ‘inclusive playgrounds’, there will just be playgrounds.
Solution
The most magical playground in Aotearoa, inclusive of all physical and neurological capabilities, with all areas accessible by wheelchair, Magical Bridge Playground is a masterpiece of inclusive design. The 8000m2 fenced playground includes 3500m2 of themed zones, including a slide zone, balance and bounce zone, swing and sway zone, and spin zone, as well as retreat huts, waterplay, a playhouse and stage.
The ultimate 'magic’ of this playground is a cutting-edge, custom-built Magical Bridge Tower that allows wheelchair users full access to the elevated fun where each and every thrill-seeker can enjoy sky-high adventures, interact with others, and observe the stage below and the rest of the playground. Visitors can enjoy the undercover seating area where sausages sizzle tantalisingly on the barbecue, and a water fountain offers relief for thirsty adventurers.
The Magical Bridge Playground exemplifies the spirit of inclusivity. It's no wonder that it was shortlisted and eventually won a merit award for the 2024 Recreation Aotearoa Playspace of the Year Award (over $500k category). The playground promotes understanding and ignites connections that build more inclusive communities. Here, in this wonderland of adventure, no-one is denied the simple pleasures of play.
Feeling inspired? Talk to one of our playground design and build specialists today.