Up on Play Landscape Architects Issue 3

Netplex™ is what’s next in play.

Landscape Structures recently introduced Netplex™, a

new net-based playstructure designed to challenge kids

physically and cognitively by creating an experience

completely different from those offered by typical

playstructures. Climbing cables have been a popular

playground material, and we’ve used them in many of

our playstructures for more than 10 years. Now, using a

patent-pending clamping system, Netplex enables us

to take a seemingly unbroken length of cable from the

inner core of the playstructure to the outer posts and all

the way around.

The design of Netplex is centered around one of two

core climbers, which include latex-free rubber landings.

These provide a destination within the structure and a

nice spot for kids to hang out. We’ve also designed

six new play components—bridges, climbers, spinners,

overhead events and balancing components—that can

be added to Netplex to create a truly unique

play experience.

And because Netplex is part of the PlayBooster®

product line, it can be connected to new or existing

PlayBooster playstructures and components to extend

the design, or it can be designed to stand on its own.

Netplex offers kids the challenge needed for healthy

development into self-assured adults. Netplex designs

help kids advance their balance, motor planning

and strategic thinking skills while also providing the

opportunity for graduated challenge—kids feel secure

on cables that are lower to the ground, and when

they’ve mastered that they challenge themselves by

going higher and engaging new muscles.

Because of the design flexibility with Netplex, it can

fit into many budgets. We offer options for roofs, and

a variety of play components can be added to meet

space and/or budget requirements.

Learn more about Netplex, and see it in action at

playlsi.com/Netplex. Then contact your local

Landscape Structures playground consultant to

create your new Netplex playground design.

Balancing Safety and Challenge in Playground Design

Playgrounds are a place

where children can learn and

grow through exploration

and social interaction.

However, that development

can’t take place without

age- and developmentally

appropriate challenges. Read

how parental concerns along

with industry standards are contributing to the

lack of opportunities for challenge in today’s play

equipment by requesting our new whitepaper.

Let kids of all abilities fly with ZipKrooz™Zip lines have become the fastest growing recreational sport in

the world, and now Landscape Structures has a new innovation

that brings that adventure to the playground in a safe way.

ZipKrooz™ is our new inclusive zip line for playgrounds, and

when paired with its accessible companion, ZipKrooz Assisted,

it provides a truly inclusive play experience.

Unlike other playground zip lines, ZipKrooz offers a two-way

ride—kids will zip from one end to the other, and back again for

nonstop fun. Built-in elevation helps riders gain momentum at

the beginning, and then slow down at the end for a safe exit.

With three lengths of track available, ZipKrooz and ZipKrooz

Assisted can accommodate any playground or all three can be

installed to offer users a graduated experience.

You can choose from the challenging poly disc seat (ZipKrooz)

or more secure molded bucket seat with lock-in-place harness

(ZipKrooz Assisted). Installed together, ZipKrooz and ZipKrooz

Assisted provide children of all abilities the feeling of flying side-

by-side. And both configurations stimulate kids’ vestibular and

proprioceptive senses, help kids learn to play cooperatively, and

exercise their balance, coordination and core strength.

Learn more about ZipKrooz and ZipKrooz Assisted and see it

in action by visiting playlsi.com/zipkrooz. Then contact your

Landscape Structures playground consultant to bring the

adventure of zip lines to your local playgrounds.

Creating an Inclusive Play MovementRecreation Management recently kicked off its new Webinar Educational Series, which was designed to provide participants with an in-depth look at some of the top issues and challenges in the recreation industry. The first webinar in the series, sponsored by Landscape Structures, discussed the best ways to bring inclusive play from imagination to reality.

Experts discussed methods for creating effective public/private partnerships, building funding and support for inclusive play, and ensuring that playground designs are truly inclusive—along with ways to facilitate playing together among children and caregivers of all abilities. Watch the recording here, and learn more about inclusive play by visiting playlsi.com.

Leave it to the professionalsLandscape Structures is so honored to work with landscape architects around the world. We’re constantly learning about fun and unique projects on which you’ve worked, obstacles that you face and innovative solutions that you create to overcome challenges. In this feature, we’ll spotlight a professional, and offer a glimpse into implemented projects. Our featured professional is Pat Wyss, FASLA, president of Wyss Associates, Inc. in Rapid City, S.D. Read below to learn more about Pat, and his experience in the field of landscape architecture.

Q: How long have you been involved in landscape architecture?

A:���It’s a great profession. I discovered it for myself when I was a student at THE Ohio State University. I was actually in the architecture program, and it had combined with the landscape architecture program. At that time, the landscape architecture program was on a roll, so I switched to landscape architecture but really fell in love with the profession and dove right into it. It’s a lot of fun; we create outdoor spaces… how much more fun can it be?

I got my degree and moved to South Dakota for an internship, and 35 years later I’m still here. I started my company, Wyss Associates, Inc., in 1981. We’ve done work all over the U.S., so South Dakota has been a good home base for us. Rapid City is an interesting place. Compared to other large urban areas, the population seems small but Rapid City is the business, recreation and retail center of a 250-mile radius. It’s a great place to have my practice.

Q: What have been some of your favorite projects?

A: Usually my favorite projects are my current projects—I’m so involved with them at the time. I’ve been really lucky to have really good clients with high expectations, and I just love that. There’s a saying, “Great clients make great projects,” and there’s a lot to that.

The projects I’m attracted to are the ones where we’re leading a team of designers—usually they’re larger-scale projects that are more demanding for creating solutions. We worked on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a seven-year project on which we collaborated with a number of firms. We’ve done quite a bit of work at Custer State Park over the last 25 years. And most recently, we’re doing a lot of work with Destination Rapid City including Legacy Commons, a large-scale play area on which we’re partnering closely with Landscape Structures. We’ve also done a lot of work with private developers like Elkhorn Ridge and Kevin Costner.

My favorite projects are ones that demand creativity, and the clients that appreciate good design.

Q: Where do you get your creative inspiration—both professionally and personally?

A:��Relative to playgrounds, I get inspired by watching people play. I like to watch children and families to see how they interact with each other and the play features. I’m thankful that I’m able to travel quite a bit, and I really like observing people in other cultures and settings. A lot of it is just watching people and taking in new places—seeing the old and the new. I make mental notes, take photos and keep a journal. You never know how those experiences are going to apply to projects in the future.

You see a lot and read a lot about lifetime learning. And I believe in lifetime play. You should never really stop playing, whether it’s playing golf or chess, or just taking your kids to the playground. People learn through play, so if you don’t want to stop learning, you shouldn’t stop challenging yourself through play. It helps keep life interesting.

Q: What have been exciting changes you’ve seen in the industry?

A:� Early in my career, I was highly involved in ASLA and developed a good network of friends and associates around the country. That was about 20 years ago, and what puzzled me at that time was that landscape architects

GET INSPIRED! Have a tablet? Use it to get inspired with our Playground Inspirations digital app! The new app works together with our Playground Inspirations book to bring the designs to life through more than a thousand images, videos and renders in an interactive experience. With our new products, bold signature design ideas and age-appropriate playground environments, you’ll be inspired to create a new play environment that welcomes and builds community.

Order or browse the new Playground Inspirations book, and download the interactive app for your iPad or Android tablets.

seemed to think they were inferior to architects. I never bought into that because it’s such a great profession; we have so much to offer. I’ve seen that change over the last 10-20 years. The marketplace has come to recognize the value that landscape architects bring to projects, and when I go to ASLA meetings I perceive a lot more confidence within our profession.

I’ve also seen LAs taking much more of a leadership role. It’s becoming more and more of an expectation. A lot of that has to do with the renewed interest in many downtown areas. There’s a demand for making those urban areas more livable, and landscape architects are just the right profession to help with that.

Sustainable design is much more important now, although I think LAs have been practicing sustainable design before it was a buzz word. It’s integral to our profession, but it’s nice to see a greater acceptance of the need for sustainable design now. That’s been a very exciting change.

Q: What are some of your personal hobbies?

A: I keep busy. I hand make acoustic guitars, which is something I started about five or six years ago. I am on my sixth one now. I enjoy bicycling as well. As part of our travels, my wife and I take a bicycle trek each year. This year we’re planning a trip to Spain, and last year we spent time in Austria. We take a couple of weeks and go see other parts of the world from the seat of a bicycle.

We also design golf courses at Wyss Associates, so of course I like to get out for golf, too.

Learn more about Pat and his work at Wyss Associates by visiting www.wyssassociates.com.

Landscape Structures Inc.601 7th St. SouthDelano, MN 55328-8605888.438.6574763.972.5200playlsi.com

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Calendar of EventsLooking forward to seeing you at the following events:

APRIL

• National Landscape Architecture Month

• National Autism Awareness Month

• EPCOT® International Flower & Garden Festival, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

JULY

• National Park & Recreation Month, nationwide

SEPTEMBER

• Green Apple Day of Service

OCTOBER

• National Recreation & Park Association Congress, Charlotte, N.C.

NOVEMBER

• National League of Cities Congress of Cities, Austin, Texas

• American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Meeting, Denver, Colo.

Industry News Read about the latest happenings affecting landscape architects, and then join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. Let us know what you think about the following topics:

• Cozy Spaces & Restful Play Parents and teachers often misunderstand restful play and observation time as completion of the play period. But what adults perceive as an end to play is often only a retreat from sensory stimulation or a break to self-regulate emotions and body heat. Read more.

• How the American playground was born in Boston Boston’s immigrant families touched the city’s philanthropic types, and in 1885, one charitable group decided to offer the local children a pile of sand, deposited for the summer in the yard of a chapel on Parmenter Street. Little did any of them know how much it would change the experience of childhood in America. Read more.

• Sustainable Sites Initiative Certifies 30th Project The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) recently certified four projects, bringing the total to 30. The projects include sustainable landscape renovations at courthouses, transforming greyfield sites at elementary schools, and converting parking lots and brownfields into parks within city plazas. Read more.