Case Studies
Longford Village Green interactive playground
Design Feature
Type of Project
Playground
State
Tasmania
Location
Regional
The Longford Village Green interactive playground has been a great success, creating a play space for Longford residents and visitors of all ages. It is a -destination playground, evidenced by surveys that show one-in-four playground users are from outside the Northern Midlands.
The playground was officially opened by Northern Midlands Mayor David Downie in December 2016. In October 2017, it was a finalist in the Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival Innovative Tasmania Awards under the Innovative Government category. Northern Midlands Council are currently the only municipality in Tasmania to have a playground of this kind installed and are leading the way in innovative and interactive playgrounds.
The playground was officially opened by Northern Midlands Mayor David Downie in December 2016. In October 2017, it was a finalist in the Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival Innovative Tasmania Awards under the Innovative Government category. Northern Midlands Council are currently the only municipality in Tasmania to have a playground of this kind installed and are leading the way in innovative and interactive playgrounds.
Fun in the Northern Midlands
The redevelopment of the Longford Village Green playground has been an extensive project that has been embraced by Council and communities from all over the region.
Stage one of the upgraded play space had two components:
1. A playground for younger children comprising play equipment with a motoring theme, and a double swing that is accessible to children of all abilities. The inclusive space reinforces a sense of place by reflecting the town’s rich motor racing history.
2. A Kompan Play Space that caters for older children of all abilities. A Kompan Play Space can be best described as “the electronic playground of the future which, by combining the joys of outdoor play and immersion of video games, brings together two central elements of children’s modern need for play”. Three items have been installed; ‘Nova’, ‘Space’ and ‘Rocky’, which encourage energetic team play, outdoor activity and provides a fun platform for its users to track their progress.
Stage one of the upgraded play space had two components:
1. A playground for younger children comprising play equipment with a motoring theme, and a double swing that is accessible to children of all abilities. The inclusive space reinforces a sense of place by reflecting the town’s rich motor racing history.
2. A Kompan Play Space that caters for older children of all abilities. A Kompan Play Space can be best described as “the electronic playground of the future which, by combining the joys of outdoor play and immersion of video games, brings together two central elements of children’s modern need for play”. Three items have been installed; ‘Nova’, ‘Space’ and ‘Rocky’, which encourage energetic team play, outdoor activity and provides a fun platform for its users to track their progress.
Stage two of the playground redevelopment comprised the addition of a multi-spin carousel and an Ultimate Double Tower unit to the younger children’s playground, and the Kompan Icon “Swirl” added to the electronic play space.
The interactive playground provides Council with an online login and administration site to check statistics and usage which offers further in-depth details and feedback.
- Total games played since installation: 45,284
- Total number of players since installation: 54,601
- Total calories burned since installation: 235,277
Project team
- Northern Midlands Council
- Ultimate Play
- KOMPAN
Project cost
- Stage 1 - $250,000
- Stage 2 - $144,000
Health value
- The Longford Village Green offers health value through using electronic playground equipment that promotes active living by encouraging users to participate in games and interactive activities as single users or as teams.
- Youth and younger adults are returning to the playground to enjoy the combination of video games and physical exercise.
- The playground contributes to physical health within the Northern Midlands community and provides an interactive space for local community groups and schools.
Economic value
- The Longford Village Green offers economic value from the interactive playground being located on the main road of the Longford Town Centre. The playground attracts users from regional and rural communities as it is the only one of its kind in Tasmania. This gives the Northern Midlands a point of difference and provides people with another fantastic reason to visit the Northern Midlands.
- Anecdotal evidence from surrounding businesses indicate that sales have increased since the installation of the playground.
Environmental value
- The Longford Village Green offers environmental value as community open space and community groups have been engaged in outdoor activity that benefits the community and their individual overall physical health.
Social value
- The Longford Village Green offers social value where the interactive playground provides a place and environment for users of all ages and demographics to engage in team play and activity. Located on the main street in the Longford town centre, it is close to amenities and local business encouraging social engagement and interaction.
Use value
- The Longford Village Green offers use value through the design that allows users of all ages and abilities to be able to interact and engage in activity.
- The playground is a high traffic area with families and groups from all over Tasmania engaging and interacting with it.
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