Playground Illumination: No Child's Play
It
wasn’t such a long time ago that a new children’s playground would
consist of monkey bars, a couple of slides and an old truck tyre hanging off
a rope - and let’s not forget the tan bark scattered everywhere, which
only seemed to serve the purpose of invading your shoes. However, when playground
designer Ric McConaghy was asked to design an artistic and functional playground
at the new Docklands precinct, tan-bark and monkey bars where the last thing
on his mind.
The playground is located on the opposite bank to the Yarra’s Edge development and right next to the busy footbridge. Ric was first approached by VicUrban, who have commissioned the majority of artwork in the area including the giant ‘blowhole’ sculpture at the playground; now a Melbourne landmark, to design some concepts for a playground that serviced both residents and visitors of Melbourne’s newest precinct. Working closely with ARM – the design consultancy company responsible for the landscape design and super graphic that threads the entire precinct together – and involving local residents in the consultation process, Ric decided against taking the obvious route of putting boats and anchors everywhere; he wanted the Docklands theme to still be nautical, but subtle.
What
better way to capture the essence of nautical life in Australia than the iconic
compass of The Southern Cross! Mixed in with the usual combination of slides
and swings, Ric designed a startling up-lit replica of the hemisphere’s
most notable constellation that also ‘twinkles’ the exact same way.
However the attention to detail is so thorough, that each star in the ground
illuminates at the same colour as its corresponding star in the sky. When darkness
hits, this is quite a mesmerizing effect.
In order to achieve this vision, Ric was referred to Lightmoves through the
Industry Capability Network. What Ric was asking had never been done before;
so the creative team at Lightmoves went to work. Using a hybrid of Digilin fibre
optics and Megabay LED up-lighter fittings, Lightmoves were able to create custom
light sources that were not only dimmable; but able to twinkle just like the
real Southern Cross. “It was great to work with a supplier who was as
interested in the artistic merit of the project as I was. All parties just sat
down and 
thoroughly
‘nutted out’ all the subsequent issues. It was a really exciting
project to be involved with.” Explains Ric.
The playground also contained a volcanic-themed tunnel. Lightmoves supplied customised Taipan stainless-steel marker lights and created a custom built, red and amber ‘colour-twinkle’ wheel to create a colour changing sequence to replicate the effect of bubbling lava.
This unique project demonstrates what results can be achieved when clever designs are combined with specific, tailored solutions.
For more information on fibre optic lighting, or for help bringing your unique
project to life, contact Joe Casamento of Lightmoves on (03) 9701 2500
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