Custom Design Controls rewired and installed 11 new lights at the playground. The generous donation included all labor and materials. In addition, Custom Design Controls lowered one of the basketball backboards to its proper height and hung a new net on an empty backboard. Working with the Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities (PRCF), they replaced two damaged poles and installed on-demand lighting near basketball and petanque courts. Not only does this extend playing time on winter evenings, but it has improved safety at the playground — one of our group’s main goals. Many thanks to Custom Design Controls and PCRF for their generous support.

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BAM Architects has revised the Master Plan for the park based on last meeting’s feedback.  This design shows two basketball courts and two tennis courts, but Parks & Rec now recommends just one court each court for these reasons:

One for the cost factor; and two, just three blocks to the north in Ethel Furman Park, there are two of each court there so there is no reason to duplicate what we already have.

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Here are some interesting ideas from other parks around the world. Most of these incorporate the idea of a “natural playground” into their design. Check out the pictures below, plus a gallery of other garden ideas.

A living willow tree woven into a bower:

Banners, handpainted signs and thoughtful design make a park entrance inviting:

This playground incorporates found and reused objects for imaginary play:

Here’s a really cool way to reuse tires and address terrain changes. Plus, no falls:

Water pumps, channels and tables and sand areas encourage experimentation and creativity:

Kids like to play with sound, too.  Pipes, plastic drums, windchimes and other found objects can double as instruments in a “sound scape.”

Lose yourself in a maze:

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The last focus group meeting with the Department of Parks & Recreation and BAM Architects will take place tonight at 6:30 pm at St. John’s Church Parish Hall. BAM will present proposed schematic designs so far and is seeking feedback from the community. Please come and share your thoughts about the park redesign!

At 6pm, the Friends of Chimborazo Playground invites you to a quick membership meeting. Want to see change happen at the park? We can’t do it without you! Stop by tonight and learn how to become a member (it’s free, fun and you’ll meet great people!). The meeting will take place in the same location (St. John’s Parish Hall).

Hope to see you tonight!

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Want to learn more about proposed design changes to Chimborazo Playground? Share your ideas, provide feedback and get involved on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at St. John’s Church Parish Hall.

Focus Group - 6:30pm – The City of Richmond Parks and Recreation Department and BAM Architects will hold the third and final focus group meeting concerning the redesign of the playground and recreation area at Chimborazo Park. The focus group is open to the public and it’s your chance to provide feedback on the proposed  redesign.  Share your thoughts and questions with the architects at this meeting. If you’re unable to attend, but want to share some ideas or concerns, leave a comment here and we will be sure to include them at the focus group.

Membership Meeting - before Focus Group – starts at 6 pm – Become a member of Friends of Chimborazo Playground. It’s free and open to anyone interested in improving the recreation area of Chimborazo Park. We’re looking for basketball players, tennis players, skateboarders, petanque players, gardeners, parents and children who use the playground and anyone else interested in making the park a safer, more beautiful place. Become a part of the exciting changes happening at the park!

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Friends of Chimborazo Playground and members of the community met informally with the Department of Parks & Recreation and BAM Architects on July 31 to review Chimborazo Playground design revisions. The design features a main vista looking through the park from 29th Street to 31st.  Ten community garden plots would line the northern alley; a sidewalk would line the southern perimeter of the park. The tall fences currently surrounding the park would be replaced with berms, lower walls and other landscape features to make the area less “penal looking.”

The group also began discussions about how the project could be broken into phases and developing a major fundraising plan.

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The Friends of Chimborazo Playground, the petanque club, Tricycle Gardens, BAM Architects and the Richmond Department of Parks and Recreation met on Monday, June 30 at the playground to review block planning ideas. We also shared all feedback from the community posted here on this website. BAM is going to take this feedback and will work to incorporate it into the designs. The group also discussed dividing the renovation into multiple phases. The next (and last) public focus group meeting will occur in early August; we will post the date here as soon as it’s official.

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At last! BAM Architects has kindly shared the conceptual renderings and diagrams presented at the last focus group meeting. Of particular interest are the “Block Planning Ideas,” which is meant to show how different areas of activity (e.g., basketball, tennis and petanque courts, community gardens, playground, and skateboard areas) can be arranged within the park. Provide your feedback (especially on the block planning) to share with BAM and the Richmond Dept of Parks and Recreation.

Block Planning Ideas [PDF] ©2008 BAM Architects

Qualities of a Great Park [PDF] ©2008 BAM Architects

Architectural Renderings

Entryway to renovated Chimborazo Park, ©2008 BAM Architects

Basketball courts, ©2008 BAM Architects

Pavillion, ©2008 BAM Architects

Petanque courts, ©2008 BAM Architects

Additional Resources

Helpful Websites

http://www.pps.org/parks_plazas_squares/
http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/index.html
http://www.naturalplaygrounds.com/
http://www.boundlessplaygrounds.org/
http://www.childrenandnature.org/

Interesting Articles

http://www.sansehaver.dk/images/Helle%20Nebelong.pdf
http://www.slate.com/id/2190362/

Inspiration for Architectural Renderings Above

http://flickr.com/photos/rethinkingchildhood/ (has a whole collection of ‘natural’ playground photos)
http://flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=diagonal+mar+water&m=text (this search will land you lots of photos of the
water sculpture you liked which is in the massive Diagonal Mar Park by Enric Miralles in Barcelona)
http://www.pps.org/general_gifs/newsletter/sep2004/great_parks.gif (source for our “successful park” board)

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WRIC featured a story yesterday, May 5, on how police, the Parks Department and Friends of Chimborazo are working together to overcome crime and safety issues at the playground.

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