Westside Neighborhood School

The Westside Neighborhood School is an independent school serving children from preschool age until 8th grade.

We worked closely with school teachers and administrators to create unique, impactful and age-appropriate playground upgrades for each group within the school. Each play element needed to fit and expand the particular developmental, social and ergonomic needs of each age group, yet feel cohesive, establishing a continuous aesthetic expression across the campus.
The playground upgrades are composed of four main elements: groves, decks, and structures and canopies.

Groves: We planted twenty-two shade trees, bringing dappled shade to play areas, dining areas and outdoor classrooms.

Decks: Because children need to squirm, climb, crawl, and cluster in age-appropriate patterns. We designed decks for each play yard that fold and bend to allow for multiple uses and multple users.

Structures: We added two new play structures to accommodate the maximum use with diverse ages and abilities.

Canopies: As shade is essential, we added two new architectural canopies, a two-toned shade fabric to cover the main pick up and drop off area, a cantilevered architectural canopy along the south and west sides of the building, facing the play yard.