Boundless Canberra

Project Name: BOUNDLESS CANBERRA

Recipient: Harris Hobbs + Indesco 
Client: Boundless Inc.
Project Team: 

  • Landscape architects in association: Harris Hobbs and Indesco
  • Architect: Philip Leeson
  • Engineering Coordination: Indesco
  • Hydraulic Engineer: Indesco
  • Structural Engineer: Sellicks Consulting Engineers
  • Playground Assessor: Rob Wilson

Project Address: Kings Park, Parkes ACT 2600

Boundless caters to all ability levels. It is a place where children, young people and their families can play, socialise, explore, challenge physical limits and make new friends. Boundless is a free, state-of-the-art play space that is fun and inclusive of all children, and their carers.

Boundless Canberra incorporates latest innovations from playgrounds in Australia and internationally. These include:

  • equipment that can be easily accessed by children of all ability levels without being readily identifiable as ‘disabled access’ equipment

  • ‘natural’ or ‘sensory’ play zones , making use of natural features, to stimulate exploratory play

  • Flexible play spaces – including open grassed areas, allowing for opportunistic play

  • Opportunities for creative, physical, social and cognitive play;

  • Zoned spaces to cater to a range of different age and developmental levels;

  • An artwork master plan that identified opportunities for inclusion of artworks by children and local artists working with local children

  • A fully accessible toilet facility within the playspace, and

  • A future stage kiosk to be run as a social enterprise.

Boundless provide play opportunities for all ages, at all times of the year, pertinent during Canberra’s cold winters and hot summers. The structured play elements include water play, climbing equipment, ramps and terraced play equipment, a basket swing, a frame swing and an infant swing, a sand pit, spinners and rockers, withdrawal spaces, and a range of flexible spaces for unstructured play.

The site was gifted to Boundless by the National Capital Authority. This is key to the success of Boundless as it brings an all-abilities, fully-accessible playground right into the heart of the designed capital of Australia. In the spirit of inclusiveness this gave a strong message to all parents of the importance of children’s right to play and access informal recreation, as contained in article 31 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, ratified by Australia in 1990.
Boundless playground was developed over several face to face meetings with a wide range of potential users, taking into account children and carers with differing levels of hearing, vision, physical, mental, upper body strength and mobility. 

 
Inclusiveness was the driving focus of the playground, delivered for Canberra’s Centenary, as a gift from the public and private sector workforces to the families of Canberra.
The design was delivered pro-bono by the landscape architects and lead services consultants, and significant donations of materials were made by all contractors and subcontractors.

  • Boundless is sited in Kings Park, within and adjacent to a 1950’s plantation of Blue Gums. This plantation provides late afternoon shade in summer to the playspace, wind protection, and allows framed views out to the wider Kings Park and Lake Burley Griffin;

  • Deciduous trees allow for winter sun across the playground;

  • A drainage swale is incorporated into the play space as a nature/sensory play element.

  • Water for irrigation is recycled from the water play element.