In collaboration with Studio Ludo, we worked to develop a reimagined playscape experience that embraces outdoor play as a natural extension of the students’ outdoor education.

We engaged students, parents, and staff in the design process— building models, recalling play memories, and discussing meaningful outdoor learning opportunities to incorporate into the project. The result meets the physical, social, and emotional needs of the children playing and learning in the playscape.

Children can climb, hide, swing, perch, be upside down, be alone, be together, and learn more about nature. The site was designed to be interactive with nature. The interactive raingarden is engaging, and plantings attract bees, butterflies, and other critters, becoming an ecological learning lab experienced year-round.

Metcalfe designed engaging experiences through architectural pods at key locations on the site, including anchoring the rain garden. These pods give children a place to hide, rest, gather, read, and contemplate. The site plantings and pods work together to create beautiful natural shelters on site.