Schoolyards
Schoolyard play is high-volume in brief spurts, so a successful school play area must be able to handle large groups and absorb the energy released after hours in the classroom. For this reason, Richter’s rugged constructions are good choices for schoolyards; and they can accommodate many children playing at a variety of paces─from full-body movement and great explorations to solitary and sheltered play.
Beauvoir Outdoors, Washington DC
When Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School decided to renovate its outdoor space, a team of administrators, educators, and parents chose Richter playground equipment to support Beauvoir’s goals for education, health, and early childhood development. The equipment’s natural materials and neutral tones blend into the landscape on the grounds of the towering National Cathedral.
Waldorf School of Orange County, Irvine CA
Waldorf’s educational approach meets students as individuals and develops their unique initiative, creativity, critical-thinking, and self-reliance. Richter’s equipment matches this approach, as it is based on a similar philosophy of child development and self-determination, as well as a deep appreciation for the textures and patterns of the natural world.
Community Playspaces
Like schoolyards, community playspaces are visited frequently by the same groups of children. This means that the environment must offer a variety of play activities, opportunities for mastery, and areas for discovery so that the children are excited to return—to climb a little higher or try the faster slide. Community playgrounds are also social hubs, where children of different ages can meet and mingle, and where families can come together and relax.
The Ridge, Northlake TX
This poolside playspace in a planned residential community near Dallas features ample opportunities for climbing, swinging, and spinning. Richter's iconic stainless-steel Ornithopter rises above the playground, offering a true bird’s-eye view of the space.
Alethia Tanner Park, Washington, DC
A trainyard transformed, this 2.5-acre park offers landscaped space for community events and recreation, including a pocket playground for 2-to-12-year-olds. APE Studio worked with the client and designers from concept through installation—resulting in a varied and dynamic playscape that responds to the specific requirements of the limited space.
Lubber Run Community Center Playground, Alexandria, VA
As part of a green building renovation, Lubber Run playground creates a lively atmosphere for play amid natural surroundings. Featured are two of Richter’s challenging and charming original designs: a large robinia Climbing Structure and a Caterpillar outfitted for sand play. The open design of the playspace fosters interaction among children of all ages and abilities.
Bison’s Bluff Nature Playground, Schaumburg IL
Bison’s Bluff is located at the entrance of the Spring Valley Nature Preserve outside Chicago, and the playground was planned with the hope of inspiring today’s children to engage in active, open-ended, creative forms of play, similar to that enjoyed by previous generations of children who grew up wandering fields, forests, and streams near their homes.
Mountain Lake Park, San Francisco CA
At the southern edge of Presidio National Park, this well-loved neighborhood playground was updated to offer adventurous play activities and vistas of the surrounding evergreen trees and open lakeshore. Play areas for younger children look out over the 5-to-12 area as well, with rich opportunities for observation and communication, and plenty of seating for caregivers’ comfort.
Hellyer Park Playground, San Jose CA
Recent renovations doubled the size of Hellyer Park Playground, located at the heart of a large urban park, and infused the new playspace with a natural feeling. Among the features is Richter’s robinia-and-net Climbing Structure, an original design that resembles a game of Pick-up Sticks, but actually is a masterpiece of wood-engineering and safety expertise.
