Playgrounds are places of encounter where children spend time with their friends, overcome challenges, experience adventures and pursue joyful, imaginative play. However, for children with disabilities, access to playgrounds or the use of playground equipment is often limited or not possible at all due to physical barriers.

The goal of Corinna Eitel's bachelor's thesis was therefore to design a concept for an inclusive playground for children with and without disabilities aged one and a half to fourteen years for the outdoor area of the Schön Klinik in Vogtareuth. Corinna Eitel, who works as an occupational therapist in the Department of Neuropediatrics at the Schön Klinik, took on this topic with the support of her former fellow students Lisa Birkner and Lale Menek. The work, entitled "The way to play - an inclusive playground design," was awarded the Science Prize of the "Leben pur" foundation in 2019.

In this explorative study, 47 participants were asked about their experiences of using playgrounds and their wishes. The questionnaires were answered by children undergoing treatment, their parents, as well as therapists, nurses and educators from the Neuropediatrics and Pediatric Orthopedics departments of the Schön Klinik. The focus of the survey was on the wishes, challenges and adaptation possibilities of the participants. The data collected, literature research, five expert interviews and the scientific assessments of the authors resulted in the design for an inclusive playground for the outdoor area of the Schön Klinik in Vogtareuth.

The playground currently has a platform combination with triangular and hexagonal modules connected by a 5-meter bridge specially designed for wheelchair users.  A slide with a special seat with grab rail and an extended slide exit allows children with motor impairments to glide down the slide and enjoy the slide fun. There is also a special wheelchair rocker. This three-part seesaw plate is articulated in a protective frame. The rocking is triggered by moving back and forth or by shifting weight accordingly while walking. The joint action, the attraction of playing together, the call to make arrangements, make up the special value of the device. Wheelchair users and healthy people, tall and short, heavy and light, old and young can have fun together. Playing creates the feeling of moving part of the way.

A small water playground with a pump and channels that are wheelchair-accessible has now been added.

Our partner Timberplay is taking part in the "Just So Festival" for the first time

"Just So" is a small, annual weekend festival, an imaginative outdoor family adventure like no other and arguably the best family festival in the UK today.

With a love of stories and childhood imagination at its heart, the Just So Festival allows families to step out of their everyday lives and immerse themselves together in a wonderland of literature, art, theater, dance, music, comedy and creative pursuits.

"Just So" takes the audience - from the youngest to the great-grandparents - on a unique journey of discovery full of mischief and chaos, in a land of magical midnight feasts, curious creatures and hidden sanctuaries.

In summer 2022, our English partner Timberplay was involved in the "Just So Festival" for the first time and presented some Richter play equipment here. In the magical Spellbound Forest, young and old could experience campfire stories during the day and campfire bands at night. Our climbing pyramid in the middle of the forest was particularly popular with older children, while the younger ones immersed themselves in role play in the playhouse.

Room for role play

In the midst of a beautiful setting, among large, shady eucalyptus trees, the „Diamond Creek Regional Park“ nature playground is located in a suburb of Melbourne. In the Round Village with its various playhouses and in the sand play area with a rotating crane and transport system, there is plenty of room for role play. The Totter Trail invites especially the younger ones to climb, crawl and explore. Older children and teenagers in particular can let off steam on the 30-meter-long Cableway, explore the physical phenomenon of centrifugal force and enjoy the airstream.

Play world for young and old

A unique water playground was created in 2021 on the extensive grounds of the private property Ikuna - the name was adopted in reference to the former leisure park with an Indian playground - in close collaboration between the architect, the owner and Richter Spielgeräte. The aim was to integrate the water play equipment into the existing environment and to design the play world in such a way that as many children as possible could interact at the same time.
The playground is divided into different areas - watercourse, gravel works, sand and mud area, mill village and water forest - which are connected by an accessible circular path. The watercourse symbolizes nature as a whole, while the gravel works symbolize human intervention. This metaphor goes back to the client's desire to create a nature resort that is as free of electronics as possible and invites children and young people to play freely with the elements. The main connection between the watercourse and the gravel pit is an integrative sand play platform specially designed for wheelchair users. In the sand and mud area with its terraced A-squares, the Archimedean screw is the main attraction alongside the large nautilus snail, the scoop fountain and the large excavator. At 5.5 meters long, it is the longest screw Richter has ever constructed. In the mill village, the little ones get their money's worth and can immerse themselves in role play to their heart's content on the mill and paddle wheels as well as the various dam and weir elements. The water forest with its slender high palisades was also specially designed for this project. Thanks to a built-in automatic system, no pumping power is required to spray the water; instead, the water falls from above at predetermined intervals, as if from a fountain. In addition to inclusion, suitability for all age groups and the integration of existing trees and natural stones, an important aspect of the planning was also the possibility of providing parents or other accompanying persons with nice places to sit from where they can watch the children at play in peace and quiet.

The playground in Kingston Park near Adelaide offers nature-based play opportunities for all ages and abilities. There are nine different play areas, which the community requested in this form and which are inspired by the native fauna and habitats in Kingborough.

The spacious climbing playground not only provides incentives for climbing, scrambling and balancing, but also offers the opportunity to retreat and observe the surrounding flora and fauna in peace and quiet thanks to the integrated tree house, for example. Birds in particular are a popular object for young and old explorers and discoverers. The Climbing Forest's large vertical spider's web is particularly attractive to older children and teenagers. The sun sails stretched between the climbing elements provide valuable shade, so that relaxed play and climbing is possible even on hot days.

A wide range of sensory encounters

The project at Glasgow Science Centre was driven by the client's desire to make the outdoor area more exciting. After attending Timberplay Scotland seminars and visiting Richter Spielgeräte GmbH in Germany, Glasgow Science Centre equipped the project with a range of interesting sensory 'exhibits' in the space. The elements, including a spinning stone, a stone xylophone, a dancing chime, conferences, a walk-through kaleidoscope, rotating disks, a ring-sound disk, a water vortex and sound sheets, have been carefully selected to provide visitors and passers-by with a wide range of sensory encounters.

By interacting with the devices, visitors can playfully create music, experience visual phenomena and explore the physics of water and rotation. Carefully considered interpretations for each exhibit help visitors to deepen their understanding of the individual objects.

The Devonport Living Cities Masterplan is one of the largest urban regeneration projects in northern Tasmania. Located on the banks of the River Mersey, the park is considered the jewel in the crown of the project and has been named Park of the Year 2024 by Parks & Leisure Australia.

Designed by ASPECT Studios, the park draws heavily on the local landscape, particularly its unique geology and flora. The creation of the park has completely transformed this once unloved area and created a wonderful first impression for visitors arriving here on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry.

Working with VOS Construction, our Australian partner Urbania designed and built a series of bespoke timber elements made from recycled Australian hardwood. We also supplied several pieces of play equipment handmade in Frasdorf, including a large pyramid tower, a climbing structure, a playground pump and a tunnel slide. In particular, the pyramid tower with tunnel slide, which can be seen from afar, and the large climbing structure, which stands right next to the water, make this playground a very special place with an unmistakable identity.

Historic excursion boat for the adventurous

Located on the shores of East Okoboji Lake in northern Iowa, Richter's Minnie Queen pays tribute to the community's role as a historic tour boat. Adventurous visitors can climb up the smokestack ladder to get a glimpse of the water and ring the captain's bell. The wooden sailing boat, the slide in the shape of a large fish and the small fish seesaws offer plenty of opportunities for movement and role play.

A playground for Peter Pan and his friends

Lady Di's love of children was the inspiration for the designers of the Lady Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground. On the site where a playground donated by Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie once stood, a brand new play area has now been developed based on the story of the boy and his friends.
The story of the boy who never grows up touches the hearts of all generations - you would love to be right in the middle of the action.
Captain Hook's ship has a high mast, sails, a cabin and a lower deck for exploring and romping around. Nearby, a spacious water area allows you to playfully explore and observe the ways of the water.
Not far away are the tepees of the American Indians, whose chief's daughter was held captive by the pirates, and a small village with playhouses - Wendy could live in one of them.
In the tree houses, the children keep an eye out for the "Lost Boys".

As a member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Old Moor Nature Reserve in England's Dearne Valley seeks to become a premier destination for families wanting to experience nature first-hand in an exciting and safe environment. Old Moor wished to introduce wild play into the reserve by using smaller and more informal elements and adding playful routes through the site to immerse children in nature.

Richter Spielgeräte's longtime partner Timberplay assisted RSPB with the supply and installation of equipment and landscaping to create wonderfully natural and playable spaces. Several crossings in the form of a Chain Path and Big Suspension Bridge are to test balance, promoting playing within the water, long grasses and the beautiful trees of Old Moor. A tunnel incorporated in grass mounding within the wetland creates both a hiding place and physical test for all ages as they navigate through the site looking for wildlife. 

The play elements have a significant focus on playful landscapes, including a sand pool and log area with fallen trees and willow dens, capturing play experiences that promote physicality and imaginative play and communication. A large Octagonal Tower is a stand-out structure within the landscape, standing at 2.4 metres high; it allows children and adults to climb upwards towards the treetops and see over the whole site, enabling them to feel at one with the birds.