Silverdale School

Water is a great way to activate sensory playgrounds

“We’ve got this fantastic space now that kids love using.”

Client:

Silverdale School

Location:

Auckland

Circa Budget:

$214,000

With a school community made up of 840 students, Silverdale School is an exciting, and diverse learning environment.

In 2022, Principal Cameron Lockie got in touch with the team at Creo to update a tired, existing play space that no longer fitted the needs of the students at his school. He explains, “We had this space that wasn’t really working for us. We had some hump and some artificial grass, and they were falling apart. It was looking very old and not very user-friendly.”

Cameron got in touch with Creo, after checking out the Creo Project Portfolio that came through his office. He began exploring the range of fun and colourful play spaces Creo had created with other schools.

“I went through that [the portfolio] and saw some spaces that I loved. Selwyn Ridge: [ I] saw their water play, and also another school that had some humps. And I thought that’s what I want for our school.”

From the circa pricing shown in the portfolio, Cameron was able to see the extent of the play spaces he was able to achieve within the school’s budget.

“Play space is very important to us. Making sure that we have enough space for all our 840 tamariki to run around and have fun in.”

With a focus on creating a fun open play environment, a space was designed to reflect the values, community, and creativity of the students at Silverdale.

Celebrating the natural and coastal environment of the school, the new play space features water play, mounds, rocks, balance beams, and landscaping. It has become a fun and calming space where students can play, eat their lunch, and do their schoolwork.

The imprinted school values on the rubber safety surface have added a personal touch to the space that gives students ownership of their environment and keeps them focused on their learning.

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St Theresa’s School

“Creo got what we wanted. Creo was able to give us that element of uniqueness that fit with our school.”

Client:

St Theresa's School

Location:

Porirua

Circa Budget:

$80,000

St Theresa’s is a catholic primary school uniquely positioned by the sea, in Plimmerton, Porirua. The student body is made up of children from Years 0 through 6 encouraging a “pedagogy of creativity and innovation”.

Principal, Donna McDonald, began looking for a playground design or build company to work on a new play space after facing various compliance issues with the pre-existing playground that was no longer fit for purpose. The tired playground was going to cost the school significantly to get up to standard, so Donna and her team began looking at alternative playground options.

Donna came across Creo through a google search, where she then contacted the team and discuss the school’s vision and goals for their play space.

“[We] looked at the pedagogy and the kaupapa of the school. We had done a lot of brainstorming right through from our new entrants to our year 6’s of what they would like in a playground and what they would like the environment to look like.”

Creo’s ability to create play spaces and environments that are fun, innovative, and creative, was one of the reasons that Donna and her team were excited to take on this new development.

The collaboration between St Theresa’s and Creo resulted in a three-stage design and build concept that celebrated the culture and uniqueness of the school and its students.

After the initial site visit, the Creo design team produced a full concept, complete with a voice-over, video, and walkthrough of the design. The school was then able to work their way through the ideas and begin picturing what their play space was going to look like.

This first stage of the three-stage development centres around an open play space for their junior students. The open, play area is full of unprescribed activity opportunities where children can get creative, adventurous, and imaginative with their play. This has allowed the children at St Theresa’s to really make the space their own, creating their own stories and games in the playground.

By moving away from traditional playground structures, St Theresa’s was able to create a more level and open play space that is easily accessible and flows with the surrounding area. This has also given them the ability to entertain more students in the space at one time, without it feeling overcrowded and chaotic.

The play equipment pieces incorporated into the space, such as the Rampline balancing system, the steppers, and the slide, have really encouraged the students to play together, challenging each other and working together in the playground. “The Rampline, particularly, is a hit. They support each other on it, they bounce on it, they roll over on it, they do whatever they want on it really.”

“Everything about the playground works for our children.”

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St Anne’s School

Located on the outskirts of Wellington’s CBD is St Anne’s School. A small primary school made up of 130+ students from Years 1-8.

Client:

St Anne's School

Location:

Wellington

Circa Budget:

$90,000

Due to its very urban setting, St Anne’s student body is made up of those living in the heart of Wellington. Principal Doreen O’Sullivan explained that a lot of the students don’t have easy access to space to play and run around, which is what prompted the school to invest in creating a play space within the school where children could be active and interact with each other through play.

“Not a lot of grass or playgrounds for many of our children who live in apartments or flats, so we wanted to make the absolute most of the space that we did have.”

The school didn’t just want any regular playground for their new play area. They began searching for alternative options to the standard slide and swing set that you could find at other playgrounds, looking for a way to create something different and unique for their students.

“Every park you went to you could see a swing set or slides; we wanted something different. Something that would help them just grow that imagination. Encourage them to play together, rather than just wait for turns on a swing or a slide”

Creo’s special approach to play spaces that celebrate community and encourage imaginative play, drew the attention of Doreen and the team at St Anne’s School. The two collaborated to transform the upper-level, concrete area, into a colourful and unique play space that encourages activity and outdoor learning.

The colours used throughout the design of the space echo the themes running down the walls of the school, while the ground markings unlock a world of play opportunities for games and learning. There are various play elements in the new space, including balance balls, wooden beam structures, ground markings and plenty of free space for running around.

Throughout the installation process, Creo worked with the school to ensure there were only minor disturbances to the classes taking place. As well as keeping the school informed of any changes or delays due to Covid.

“It was a very smooth process with Creo. If there were hold-ups, which inevitably with Covid there was going to be, we were completely informed the whole time. The noise level was worked around playtimes and lunchtimes. They were extremely cooperative in terms of anything that was happening here at school.”

The new play space has become a hub for the school and its students. “They can come out and do some schoolwork in it and the classes on this level will use it for part of their general programs.”

The colourful space has encouraged students to get outdoors and create their own games, challenging their imagination and keeping them engaged and present with each other. Play has become a time for the students at St Anne’s to express themselves and spend intentional time with their friends and school community.

“One of the great advantages is to come out and just listen to the children talking and playing. They get so involved in what they are doing, that they’ll just use their own language. It really shows me how important this has been because that sort of overrides everything and just makes them who THEY are. They have to be unique to themselves not just in their learning, but in their play too.”

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Hauraki School

Hauraki School is a primary school located in Takapuna, Auckland. The school is made up of 500+ students, Years 1-6.

Client:

Hauraki School

Location:

Takapuna, Auckland

Circa Budget:

$240,000

In 2021, the team at Hauraki School approached Creo to help create a new play space to accompany a new build taking place on the school grounds. The play area was designed to create a continuation of indoor classroom learning and take that learning environment outside.

The classrooms being developed through the new build centred around new innovative ways of learning, with much more open-plan classrooms, using natural materials and colour palettes. The new play space outside these classrooms was designed to reflect that.

Creo collaborated with the school to create a concept that captured the themes of the new classrooms. Translating that into the outdoor space, through the colours, materials, equipment, and layout of the area.

Moving away from the traditional playground look, the new space instead expands into the surrounding areas of the playground structure perimeter. The open concept not only improved accessibility but allowed better flow within the space.

A “learning through play” approach was embraced in the space with a design that incorporated many natural elements including, sand, water play, and plantings. The existing palm trees were incorporated into the design along with larger rocks to give the space an open feel that ties into the surrounding school environment.

Wet pour rubber safety surfacing was used to create a multi-functional shaded area for classrooms to come out and use for learning. The play area is also full of smaller seating and gathering spaces that act as break-out spots which can be used for outdoor classroom learning.

The new play space at Hauraki School is an open oasis for outdoor learning and play opportunities.

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Sylvia Park School

A unique and vibrant new play space for Sylvia Park School

Client:

Sylvia Park School

Location:

Sylvia Park, Auckland

Circa Budget:

$370,000

Sylvia Park School is an urban primary school located in Mt Wellington, Auckland. With a roll of 550+ students, Sylvia Park is a vibrant, diverse, and creative learning environment that welcomes students from Year 1 through to Year 8.

At the end of 2020, Sylvia Park School decided to develop the front area of their school into an engaging play space. Previously used as a car park, the area was dangerous for students to move through and had an unattractive front that visitors were passing through, which wasn’t representing the school’s unique identity and values.

The school’s principal at the time, Barbara Ala’alatoa worked with Ian Laing, the school administration and property manager to articulate a vision for the new play space and find a way to bring it to life. They had a goal to create a unique space that could really showcase who Sylvia Park are as a school.

“We were really looking for a company who could create a space for our kids, that would really reflect the kind of people that our children are. They are vibrant they are colourful, they’re diverse, they’re creative, and we wanted all of those elements captured in the design work that we wanted in our playgrounds, and in the front of our school”.

After getting some concepts from other design companies, Barbara, Ian, and the team at Sylvia Park, felt they needed something unique and different for their space. The concepts they had seen were too “commercial” looking and didn’t represent the vibrancy of the school’s staff and student body. They also realised that the best way to make sure that their vision was followed through from conception to build, would be if a sole company took on the project from start to finish. Design and Build.

“We were really interested in having a design and build company because we wanted to have a one-stop shop in terms of the vision. We didn’t want that to be translated from one person to another. We felt like it would give us our greatest chance of getting exactly what we wanted, by talking to the same people who would then, in turn, bring life to it. And that is exactly what Creo have done for us.

Creo collaborated with the school, creating a design inspired by both the ideas of the board and the students at the school. The concept was bright, colourful, interesting, unique and full of personality. Ian recalls receiving the designs and being blown away. “Once we first saw those initial designs, pretty much everything that we had brought up in the initial meeting, they had ticked that box.”

When it came time to build, the Creo construction team was ready to go, demolishing the old site to create a fresh canvas for the space. The Creo team managed the removal process, construction, re-surfacing, and instalment of new equipment. From start to finish, Creo worked with the school to bring their dream play space to life.

The result really is a celebration of the school and its students. The space tells a story of the surrounding environment, connecting the school with the world around it through play and colour.

“As we walk through, we’re walking through the solar system on our way to the Tamaki River, to the Tamaki basin, we walk over the mountains, as we walk through the volcanic field, we pop in to see Tut the Tuatara and Brownie the Kiwi, it’s just joyous.”

The new play space has created a safer environment in the front area of the school, where students can now play and spend time building friendships, learning about the world around them, and engaging with one another.

“Every element just reflects a different piece of who we are and what makes the school exciting and what makes education exciting really. It [the play space] turned out amazing and we couldn’t be happier.”

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Tirimoana Primary School

Tirimoana-School,-Auckland-_STL_2552-HDR

Tirimoana-School,-Auckland-_STL_2546-HDR

Tirimoana-School,-Auckland-_STL_2549-HDR

Tirimoana Primary School is located in Te Atatu South, West Auckland.

Client:

Tirimoana Primary School

Location:

Te Atatu South, Auckland

Circa Budget:

$200,000

Made up of 630+ students from Year 1 to Year 6, the school provides a positive and caring environment for children to learn and develop.

Principal Peter Kaiser has been in the education sector for 30 years.

Throughout his time as principal, he has seen how outdoor play spaces have evolved to encourage activity, creativity, and social relationships within the school environment.

“What has changed is the variety and diversity of acknowledging what play looks like in the 21st century.”

When the school began looking at updating their tired bark playground, they were looking for a way to create something different.

A new kind of play space that encouraged creativity while being low maintenance and all-weather proof for their students to enjoy.

“We’ve got a variety of playgrounds at school. Some look like the traditional ones, but our vision for this play space was to bring some balance, to introduce something new [where] children could use their imagination more.”

Peter and his team approached Creo to design and build a unique play space full of unprescribed play opportunities.

An outdoor social space that could be used for play but also offered a classroom atmosphere for learning.

It was important for the school to find a company that could manage the whole project from start to completion.

From the site works and removal of the old playground to the design and installation of the new space. Creo was able to take on the whole project and do it all.

The design team at Creo came up with a concept for the space, along with an implementation plan that Peter could present to the school’s board and PTA.

This approach made it easy to share the vision for the new play space and explain to others how it would work within the school environment.

“Creo were very easy to work with, really adaptable and flexible. They worked very hard to meet both our vision and to make amendments to meet our budget.”

The new play space is centred around imagination and unprescribed play.

There are no traditional playground structures in this space, instead, the fixed pieces can become anything the students want them to be.

There are no limits to what the students can come up with in the new space.

The students explained:

“It’s more like a creative area. And it’s more imaginative. You can play whatever you want.”

The seat structures become jails, spaceships, islands, towers, hideouts, whatever they want.

Bark surfaces were replaced with high-quality rubber-based products that are long-wearing, weather resistant, and provide a safe cushioning for students using the space.

The outcome of this play space project has influenced the way that Peter and the team at Tirimoana school are thinking about approaching future playground projects.

“I think this project met all our expectations and more. It has enhanced our school environment. It’s a good selling piece for our school.”

Tirimoana Primary School has embraced a new kind of play space that has unlocked the imagination of its students.

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Prospect School

Imaginative, Bright, and Playful. The big three at Prospect School.

Client:

Prospect School

Location:

Glen Eden, Auckland

Circa Budget:

$100,000

Located in the Auckland suburb of Glen Eden, Prospect School is a close-knit primary school with a roll of 350+ students.

The school is passionate about creating a thriving community. Proud of its cultural diversity.

In 2020, Prospect School approached Creo to work on a new play space that would accompany the renovations of their new entrant classrooms.

The idea was to create various play-through learning opportunities for students in the new entrant classes who are transitioning into the school environment.

Principal Gay Turners explained that the outdoor play space project is intended to make students feel valued when they arrive to start their primary school education.

When Creo presented the design concept to the school, Gay knew that they had made the right decision by teaming up with Creo.

The design showed colour, imagination, it was playful and celebrated the school’s diverse identity.

Creo’s ability to then build the concept and bring it to life, further supported the continuation and ease of the project from start to finish.

The Creo team focused on creating a space that offered a wide range of experiences and sensory options.

The new outdoor area includes a sensory wall panel featuring mirrors, latches, ball-type play and other tactile opportunities.

There are also unprescribed play options including a mound and slide along with a social type gathering place with balance and nature play elements.

The concrete court area was also utilised in the design, and updated to feature a maze design drawing from the school values and showcasing the 4 different houses of the school which are represented by four Maori gods, Rongomatane, Tangaroa, Tana Mahuta, and Tawhirimatea.

Incorporating these playful and cultural elements gives the school the ability to celebrate their own cultural identity in the space and creates an opportunity for the students to connect and relate their play to other parts of their education.

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Rotorua Lakes High School

rotorua-lakes-masterplan-collage_updated2

Rotorua Lakes High School is a diverse co-educational secondary school with a rich culture with a roll of 650+ students ranging from Years 9-13.

Client:

Rotorua Lakes High School

Location:

Rotorua

Circa Budget:

$350,000

The school set out to inspire play and activity amongst the school community by reimagining their outdoor spaces.

The goal was to brighten up the outdoor environment and add interest that would encourage students to spend more time outside.

Before approaching Creo, the team at Rotorua Lakes High worked with some designers to create a concept design plan for their school spaces.

The design plan that was presented to the school proved to be way out of the budget that had been allocated to the project and didn’t fit the needs of the students and staff.

The school later approached Creo, after deciding against taking on the build themselves.

The play space quickly became a design and build project made up of three key areas the school wanted to work on.

Creo created an overall master plan of the school made up of numerous areas.

The school worked collaboratively with Creo to come up with a design palette that could be replicated in other areas of the school and throughout future developments.

This gave the school the freedom to prioritise projects as needed without having to worry about flow and continuity within the school spaces.

Because of the nature of the school, catering to older students, the focus was taken away from traditional play elements like playground structures and instead orientated towards providing fun, safe, and interesting places to hang out and socialise.

The colour palette of the outdoor spaces takes inspiration from the school’s location, logo, and existing colour theme, incorporating bright blues and yellows into the space through equipment, painting and surfacing.

The three key areas targeted in the first stage of the design and build plan include the courts, a nearby grass area, and a courtyard. All three areas are versatile spaces that draw students outside of the classroom while flowing together seamlessly through a synchronised colour palette.

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Pomaria Primary School

The team at Pomaria Primary didn’t just want a piece of equipment or a traditional, run-of-the-mill playground.

Client:

Pomaria Primary School

Location:

Henderson, Auckland

Circa Budget:

$260,000

Located in West Auckland, Pomaria Primary School is a decile 3 school made up of 450 children ranging from Years 1 through 6.

The school has a rich cultural environment, with students from a diverse range of backgrounds and communities.

Principal Kevin Choromanski sat with us and discussed how they worked with Creo to create their play space, celebrating the special culture of the school and the historical background of the local area.

They searched for a way to create a unique space that was fun, accessible for all year levels, and incorporated an apple theme that honoured the apple orchard history of the school’s location.

After doing some research and having looked at what other schools had done with their outdoor play spaces, Kevin and his team decided that Creo had something unique to offer and approached our team to come for a site visit.

A design was conceptualized, centring around a bright and colourful apple theme which included unique pieces of equipment that worked cohesively to create a multi-use play environment.

Kevin consulted with the health and PE team at Pomaria and together figured out what the learners needed out of the space.

The school was very intentional about making sure each piece that went into the space had some significance and purpose for its learners. Creo used this insight along with the collected suggestions from students and put together some ideas and suggestions of what might work within the budget and requirements of the school.

“What I like is that it's very functional. It caters for children of different ages as well. Which is part of our philosophy [at Pomaria]… The playspace was created in such a way that it accommodated children of all ages. It's wonderful to go there and see how the learners, irrespective of their age, size, height; those differences don't matter because all the equipment catered ideally for all children.”

Kevin reflected on how the space is not only used as a lunchtime play area, but it has also become a space where the students can go out and do their classroom learning. The teachers at Pomaria have begun to model some curriculum activities around the play space since they have had it. “The functionality of what Creo has created and provided for us works perfectly in what we’re trying to do around what we term, “inquiry curriculum”.

When asked about future projects, Kevin expressed, “Based on my relationship with Creo and how the project went for me, I would undoubtedly not hesitate in engaging with them again.”

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Selwyn Ridge Primary School

Selwyn Ridge Primary School’s new outdoor space celebrates the cultural narrative of the school, with local purakau built into the design.

Client:

Selwyn Ridge School

Location:

Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Circa Budget:

$230,000

Selwyn Ridge Primary School is located in Welcome Bay, Tauranga, with a roll of around 500 students, Year 1-6.

The school has a strong vision of nurturing whakaaro (mind), mānawa (heart), and helping students build their kete (kit).

Principal Craig Price came to Creo with the aim to refresh the area at the “heart” of their school. Making it a purposeful outdoor learning and play space, that the students and staff could enjoy.

Prior to Creo’s involvement, the area was worn and uninteresting. It wasn’t very a stimulating space for the students. Craig mentioned experiencing continual issues with trying to grow the grass in particular areas.

Plantings would often be overgrown, blocking the sun and line of sight into other areas of the school. This was making it a hassle for teachers on duty.

The area lacked purpose, and therefore, had great potential to become a space for further learning and play for all age groups within the school.

The new playspace features sand and water play areas, a “natural” section with wooden structures and balance ropes, topography play with an in-built dual slide, and a colourful seating area that can serve for outdoor learning and performances.

Creo also worked to include local purakau in the design with the story of the 3 whales built into the surface.

Selwyn Ridge wanted to maintain the natural elements around the area, keeping the larger trees and incorporating them as features in the playspace design.

Creo was able to also incorporate ground markings that painted symbolic figures on the concrete surfaces, tying in the story of the space, and making the space personal and unique to the school.

The final outcome serves as an exciting space that is loved and enjoyed by the whole school community.

The area is now used as a gathering area, and a fun play area full of range and diverse elements.

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Silverdale School

Client:

Silverdale School

Location:

Auckland

Circa Budget:

$214,000

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St Theresa’s School

“Creo got what we wanted. Creo was able to give us that element of uniqueness that fit with our school.”

Client:

St Theresa's School

Location:

Porirua

Circa Budget:

$80,000

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St Anne’s School

Located on the outskirts of Wellington’s CBD is St Anne’s School. A small primary school made up of 130+ students from Years 1-8.

Client:

St Anne's School

Location:

Wellington

Circa Budget:

$90,000

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Hauraki School

Client:

Hauraki School

Location:

Takapuna, Auckland

Circa Budget:

$240,000

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Sylvia Park School

A unique and vibrant new play space for Sylvia Park School

Client:

Sylvia Park School

Location:

Sylvia Park, Auckland

Circa Budget:

$370,000

“As we walk through, we’re walking through the solar system on our way to the Tamaki River, to the Tamaki basin, we walk over the mountains, as we walk through the volcanic field, we pop in to see Tut the Tuatara and Brownie the Kiwi, it’s just joyous.”

“Every element just reflects a different piece of who we are and what makes the school exciting and what makes education exciting really. It [the play space] turned out amazing and we couldn’t be happier.”

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Tirimoana Primary School

Tirimoana Primary School is located in Te Atatu South, West Auckland.

Client:

Tirimoana Primary School

Location:

Te Atatu South, Auckland

Circa Budget:

$200,000

The new play space is centred around imagination and unprescribed play.

“It’s more like a creative area. And it’s more imaginative. You can play whatever you want.”

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Prospect School

Client:

Prospect School

Location:

Glen Eden, Auckland

Circa Budget:

$100,000

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Rotorua Lakes High School

Client: