Stephen shares how he sparks the start of safe, independent play—and why designing playgrounds is the ultimate job for someone who has never grown up. Read on to find out more!

Tell us a little about the Mini Maze brief and how you answered it in your design?

This is our third time working with Dalkeith Country Park. There is now a mutual trust that has developed over the last few years between us to deliver something fantastic. The brief was relatively simple – engage The Park’s younger demographic in a safe yet challenging toddler area. It also needed to be in-keeping with the architectural style of the other play elements in Fort Douglas to ensure the coherent look and feel unique to the adventure park continues.

Mini Maze nestles beside Sky Maze like a littler sibling. Was that very much intentional?

The intention when designing all of our adventure play areas, is to make them feel ‘of-their-place’. By that, we mean that they should sit well within their natural environment. On this occasion, it also meant using similar materials to Sky Maze to ensure a visual connection between both areas. The graduation in scale from toddler play to adventure play is also significant in creating a proportional and aspirational link between them.

As you say, they are like siblings playing alongside each other. This will literally mirror the relationship between some families on site, giving younger ones plenty to aspire to on future visits!

Best bit about your job is..?

Seeing families playing outside in the fresh air together, engaging with nature and simply spending quality, fun times together.

For me, there is nothing more rewarding than knowing that we have already helped around 8-million children and families create memories that stand the test of time, across the UK and beyond.

Sky Maze succeeds by mixing intergenerational play with independent fun for older kids. Is it tough to design for little ones who need parents close?

The important thing for us, as designers, is to understand how different age groups of children play and interact. We then include the appropriate activities that allow little ones to thrive. For example, Mini-Maze incorporates seating around the main sand-pit, which allows parents to be visually and physically close – yet one step removed. This helps promote and nurture a child’s growing independence.

Up next

The Adventure Guru Behind Mini Maze

Stephen shares how he sparks the start of safe, independent play—and why designing playgrounds is the ultimate job for someone who has never grown up. Read on to find out more!

Tell us a little about the Mini Maze brief and how you answered it in your design?

Mini Maze nestles beside Sky Maze like a littler sibling. Was that very much intentional?

Best bit about your job is..?

Sky Maze succeeds by mixing intergenerational play with independent fun for older kids. Is it tough to design for little ones who need parents close?

Behind The Scenes | DalkeithPhoto