- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Play Priorities
Sunvale Community Park, in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine, is a haven from the hustle and bustle of city life, offering local residents a place to walk, play, exercise and connect with nature.
Constructed on the site of the old Sunvale Primary School, the park is a shining example of how an unused space can be re-purposed and revitalised for the benefit of the community and the environment.
Brimbank City Council’s Urban Design Department worked with E2 Design Lab to come up with the park’s design and bring it to life in collaboration with play and recreation specialists including Playground Centre and skatepark designers, Convic.
The project’s success was recognised in the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) 2020 Landscape Architecture Awards, with Sunvale Community Park receiving an Award of Excellence – the highest honour – in the Parks and Open Space category.
Fun Solution
The award-winning park’s playground is a family-favourite thanks to the thoughtful selection of play equipment which blends beautifully with the park’s natural surrounds and provides a diverse array of play experiences.
A unique drawcard is the large Birds Nest Tower Black Forest. A large timber structure with a range of climbing features including hanging ladders, climbing wall, cargo nets and horizonal and vertical rope tunnels, the Birds Nest Tower offers exciting and fun challenges for children as well as young adults.
Meanwhile, the Space Capsule – a 3.4 metre netted frame with a rotate and bounce element – offers another opportunity for cooperative play for children of all ages. Able to cater for a large number of users at once, small children can play in the base of the Space Capsule while little (or not so little) daredevils can climb higher and enjoy the ride as other children or parents and carers make the capsule spin.
The play equipment was finished in a combination of eco-friendly timber and stainless steel for durability and longevity, with added pops of the colour blue to complement the park’s waterplay areas and give the playspace maximum visual appeal.