School Playground, Site and Campus Design
Hundreds of Schools, Thousands Upon Thousands of Learners
Play, recreation and high-volume activity are hallmarks of the schoolyard. Designing a school site combines multiple sensitivities to the needs of children in their learning environment.
First, this includes understanding the high-energy rambunctious activity of students at play. Second, understanding the educational process and the layering of learning, teaching, oversight and multiple age groups. Further, technical knowhow and functional layout of the site, fields, playgrounds, front door entryways and community gathering spaces, vehicular access for drop-off and pick-up, and ease of peak time circulation. Most important, safety and security are utmost concern of school campus design.
The Learning Landscape
Today’s schoolyard provides spaces that extend classroom learning with integrated outdoor teaching spaces. We design schoolyards that incorporate learning landscapes in sustainable environments with layers of enrichment in addition to physical activity and connections to nature. Our schools are integral to their respective communities. They are symbolic of the neighborhood, its people and context.
News and Updates
This summer we celebrated the grand opening of the third and final phase of Erie Community Park. 12 acres of features were added to this park extending its value to the community. The park is consistently filled with people enjoying all it has to offer, and we could be more excited to see that enthusiasm.
We love what we do, and you are a big part of that. As we look to the future we wish to thank you - our clients and colleagues - for making Design Concepts a success.
This past year, schools all over the country were forced to allow fewer students inside and keep classes physically separate from each other, making their outside spaces a hot commodity. In many cases schools had to scramble to figure out ways to make this happen with little time to plan. We propose that to better equip schools for the future, more time, funding, and attention is needed to design these outdoor learning environments in ways students, teachers and the neighboring community can enjoy throughout the year.
Parks all around the world are known for igniting emotions of hope, peace, and optimism. Two Hunters Park, a commemorative park honoring the lives of Mark Martinez and Joey Irwin of Firestone, CO is no exception.
We worked alongside these supporters for several years with continuing development on Lafayette Elementary’s garden as well as their three playgrounds. Recently, we began replacing raised flower beds in areas being reestablished.
We created photo simulations that helped decision makers study a proposed solar farm in the Aspen valley. Having a clear understanding of what the solar panels would look like helped them decide to approve the project.
Design Concepts proudly announces their new status as a Denver certified Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE)!
We lead a tour of Sanchez Nature Play Zone for emerging professionals from the University of Colorado Environmental Design program.
Years after designing Erie Community Park our office made a site visit to learn more about the story behind the design.
Carter presents “Building Nature: An Inspiring Initiative” at this year’s COSA conference in Steamboat Springs.
Lisa and Aynslee enjoyed the fruits of their labor indulging in a farm-to-fork dining experience using the food grown on their own design project.
Nature play isn’t just for people living in rural areas. The Nature Discovery Area & Inspire Trail in Lafayette Colorado proves it.
Chinook Trail Middle School in Colorado Springs turned out beautifully and has to be one of the finest schools in the district.
Using GIS mapping to decide where play spaces should be improved or added in order to improve public health.
Carter Marshall, PLA, is awarded the American Planning Association’s 2018 Colorado Merit Award for Community Resiliency.
DC’s Carter Marshall spoke with KGNU about the planning work addressing recovery projects from the 2013 floods in Lyons, CO. Check it out
Kids are now being joined at the park by their parents, step-parents and grandparents. Let’s embrace this multi-generational experience and design for it.
Design Concepts announces the transition of founding Principals, Axel Bishop and Robby Layton, Ph.D., to their new roles as Principals Emeriti.
Linking people to each other by providing a place to socialize in parks is an important part of helping create that opportunity to share time with others. That keeps us and our neighborhoods healthy.
We continue to position our firm for the next step in landscape architecture excellence and innovation. Today we announced two internal promotions from our talented staff.
The USA Today Readers' Choice Award for Best Splash Pads in the nation have been announced and Center Park in Centennial is in the top 10! Get the details about the park and browse through some pictures in this blog post. You'll learn everything you need to plan your summer visit--including directions to the park.
The GRASP® Component Based method for Level of Service analysis has been the gold standard of community park system evaluation processes. By adding an important element to this proven process, GRASP® Active equates parks and park access to physical activity and public health. This new process combines the latest research in performance metrics and public health indicators with GRASP® which measures quantity, quality, and distribution across a system.
Do suburban areas really provide more opportunities for families for outdoor play and exercise? The answer may surprise you.
Planners have traditionally relied on normative standards rather than evidence to determine time and distance relationships associated with walkability. We test the basic assumptions about walking speed and distance in the built environment. See our suggested guidelines for planning for walkability in your community..
Community land use plans provide tangible public health benefits, but these benefits can be difficult to measure and prove. A new research-based methodology now allows city planners to provide meaningfully innovative programs with scientific data to prove their contribution to public health improvements.
Park and trail systems planners, public health professionals, city planners leaders, and community leaders are committed to improving public health. Researchers at North Carolina State University and the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention have determined eight metrics city planners need to understand to effectively utilize their park and trail systems to improve public health.
Tennis court replacement can be costly and confusing. If your court needs repair or replacement, Carol Henry's blog will walk you the process and provide links to the resources you'll need most.
Soccer player and field designer Andy Patton helps athletic and park directors design athletic fields. In this blog he reviews the changes in American soccer standards and explains how school and park districts can easily update their fields.
Pickleball is one of the hottest trends in recreation right now, and for good reason. It’s a welcoming sport that offers an abundance of fun. It’s known as a ‘game for everyone.’ Pickleball encourages physical activity to improve people’s fitness and wellness. As park designers, we see pickleball on the agenda for most of the park projects we work on.