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Groundworks Office elevated the old Alice Chalmers Playground to new heights, creating a safe space where kids can take risks and build confidence.
The Alice Chalmers Playground is a postage stamp of a space in San Francisco's Outer Mission neighborhood. Despite its small size, it plays a huge role in the lives of the neighborhood kids. After years of neglect, the park had fallen into disrepair and was ranked as one of the worst playgrounds in the city. Groundworks Office transformed the park into an engaging, modern play space that uses the power of play to foster creativity, enrich the community, and encourage a healthier lifestyle.
Alice Chambers is one of 13 playgrounds in the city to be revitalized thanks to the Let'sPlaySF! initiative, a partnership between the San Francisco Parks Alliance and the city's Recreation and Park Department. Our design process began with 8-months of community outreach, during which we held a series of workshops with local kids, parents, and teachers to learn what they loved about the park and what they thought could be improved. Drawing on community feedback and our past experiences designing epic and imaginative playgrounds, we developed a design inspired by the rugged beauty of the California Coast that creates opportunities for scrambling, climbing, and using imagination and provides safe, comfortable places for families to enjoy the park together.
Large precast concrete blocks stand in for the coast, defining a rugged boundary for the park and creating places for climbing, balancing, and performing. The former sand pit floor has been replaced with a cushioned turf play surface that won't require much maintenance, while new planters create space for resilient native plantings, shade, and seating. But the centerpiece of the park is a three-tiered 35-foot vertical play tower with interior climbing nets — as requested by almost every kid in our workshops. It's the first play structure in North America from Finnish company Lappset, and dramatically expands the amount of play area in the modest park. Kids who climb to the top are rewarded with commanding views of San Francisco and the majestic California coast.
The Alice Chalmers Playground embodies our belief in the importance of creating a safe environment where kids can challenge themselves, use their imagination, and learn to take the kinds of risks that will help them build lasting confidence.