Creo Portfolio May 2024

Defining Playspaces.

Transforming Tired School Spaces into Vibrant Places for Play and Learning.

Welcome

AtCreo,we’reonamissiontobuild brilliantplaygroundsandevenbetter customerrelationships.

AsNewZealand’sonlyfull-service playgroundcompany,weoffereverything fromplaygrounddesignandconstruction tosafetysurfacingandequipment,all underoneroof.Thisuniqueapproach givesyoutheadvantagewhenwe provideyouwithasmootherand simplerplayspacebuildingexperience.

Asplayspacedesignersandbuilders, wehavedevelopedbetterwaysof takingyourplayspacedreamfrom ideatoreality.

Within-houseequipmentdesignand manufacturing,weofferunrivalled deliveryspeedwhilesupporting thelocaleconomy.Ourteamof experienceddesignersandbuilders workcloselywithclientstocreate playspacesthatbestreflectthe uniquecharacterandneedsofthose who will use them.

Creoisdeterminedtomakeplayspaces thatareengaging,challengingandfunfor all. Ourcollaborativeapproachensures thateveryplayspacewebuildisexactly what our clients want and need.

Takealookatthedirectionwearegoing andgetinspiredbyconceptualplay designsandournewrangeofequipment tobringyourideaintoplay.

Playspace planning transforms underutilised areas into vibrant environments that enhance learning, foster social interactions, and inspire imaginative play. They could be extensions, but they are also stand alone - multi-play areas that contain some playground-like elements, but provide much greater scope for play, imagination, and learning. Playspaces engage children on multiple developmental levels: physical, intellectual, emotional, and creative.

What Makes a Playspace?

A playspace is designed to be multi-functional and flexible to fit any area. This makes them perfect for turning awkward or unattractive areas into community hubs. The design team, comprising landscape architects, educators, artists, and child development specialists, tailor each playspace to meet holistic community needs.

Creo’s design team leverages international experience and a broad knowledge base, from safety regulations to child psychology, to create safe and stimulating environments. We focus on meaningful engagement, versatility, and enhancing the aesthetic of school environments.

How is a Playspace Different to a Playground?

The main distinction between a playground and a playspace lies in their scope and purpose. Playspaces, designed for various functions, stimulate imagination and creativity and are versatile enough for gatherings, performances, educational activities, as well as for play.

What are the Benefits of Playspaces?

Playspaces offer multiple benefits:

• Play Value: Support physical, imaginative, and interactive play.

• Social Value: Foster community ties and enhance social skills.

• Learning Value: Provide informal learning through features like interactive art or nature trails.

• Aesthetic Value: Beautify and create a welcoming sense of place.

Why Would You Need a Playspace?

For schools, a playspace is not just an area for recess but a dynamic environment that enhances the educational experience. It provides a sensory-rich setting where lessons can be informal and integrated with physical activities, helping to cement learning through experience. Furthermore, such spaces can cater to the educational needs of a diverse student body, supporting various learning

We sat down with Louise Hussey, our Design Team Lead, to talk about her process and the exciting features she has been adding to playspaces and designs around Aotearoa. Get to know a bit more about her and how she can transform your school’s underutilised area into an amazing and playful space.

An interview with Louise.

Can you share how your experience at Disney has influenced your approach to designing playgrounds at Creo?

Working at Walt Disney Imagineering highlighted the critical role of storytelling in creating immersive experiences. The attention to landscaping, signage, colour, and materials at Disney parks ensures every element works together to tell a cohesive story. At Creo, we adopt a similar focus on storytelling in our design process.

We begin with comprehensive site visit, research and client collaborations to capture the intention and goals of each project. This does not have to be a ‘’fairytale’’. However, we love to do those! The story could be the vision for the space. Then we develop our design, making sure everything connects to that initial idea.

What makes Creo's approach to playground design unique to the local industry?

Our distinct advantage at Creo lies in our multidisciplinary team, which includes internationally experienced designers, architects, engineers, and builders who are deeply passionate about crafting unique, narrative-rich playgrounds.

When existing market options do not meet your needs, our in-house experts step in to innovate and create custom solutions unique to your location.

Could you describe a recent project of which you're particularly proud and its impact on the community?

The Cass Square playground in Hokitika is a project close to my heart. Inspired by the rich history and natural landscapes in Hokitika, we infused the playground with meaningful, localized details including a dual New Zealand Sign Language / braille panel.

The feedback has been incredibly positive, especially from seniors who felt an emotional connection to the space, which led us to add more benches to make the area more welcoming.

How does Creo integrate concepts from play, education, and psychology into the design of engaging and magical playspaces?

We start by mapping out zones that reflect educational and psychological principles, ensuring the playground supports clear movement and interaction.

Throughout the design process, we layer in more details, increasing play value and enriching the narrative to create spaces that are not just fun but also intellectually stimulating.

In what ways do you think innovative playground design contributes to child development?

Innovative playgrounds cater to various developmental needs of children, enhancing their physical, social, and cognitive skills.

By designing multi-functional spaces, we encourage kids to use their creativity and interact in diverse ways, which is crucial for their overall development.

What are some of the biggest challenges in playground design today, and how does Creo address them?

Personalising playground equipment to reflect local narratives and community identity remains a challenge. At Creo, we’re pushing the boundaries of design to integrate customisation in our equipment ranges, making each playground a true reflection of its community.

Can you discuss how safety and play value are balanced when designing new playground equipment?

Our team believes in controlled risk, ensuring children can get exciting, thrilling, and fun experiences that push their abilities. We design challenging yet safe equipment that allows children to explore and grow confidently.

From fast zip lines to high structures, our playgrounds are designed to be both thrilling and safe, always adhering to rigorous safety standards.

Looking forward, what are some exciting trends or innovations in playground design that Creo is exploring?

We are particularly excited about enhancing inclusivity in our designs. Our current projects focus on developing playgrounds that are accessible to children of all abilities. We want to make sure every child can enjoy a fulfilling play experience in our playspaces.

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.

Sylvia Park School, Auckland.

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

Principal, Barbara Ala’alatoa

Sylvia Park School, Auckland.

Pinehurst School, Auckland.

Pinehurst wanted a fresh and exciting solution to the common issue of muddy play areas during the winter months. The school needed a clean, functional all-weather space that could be used throughout the year. The space was transformed into a versatile space that could be used for both play and outdoor learning.

“We are absolutely loving the space you have created for us,”

“It has been really interesting to see the effect on our children and our staff actually like doing duty there now!”

Principal, Sian Coxon

School, Auckland.

Pinehurst

Finding themselves with a dark and often muddy space between buildings, Remuera Primary School wanted to create a bright, tidy area that would eliminate the mess whilst providing an environment where students could play, create, and learn.

Remuera Primary, Auckland.

The new playspace design represents the school’s essence and colours. With plenty of play elements on its surface, children now can interact with the space, which has become a great area for relaxation and learning.

Remuera Primary, Auckland.

Rotorua Lakes School, Rotorua.

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

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.

Rotorua Lakes School, Rotorua.

Selwyn Ridge School , Tauranga.

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.

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.

Selwyn Ridge School, Tauranga.

Tirimoana School, Auckland.

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.

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

Principal, Peter Kaiser

Tirimoana School, Auckland.

Principal Gay Turners had a sterile outdoor area with little play value. She wanted an outdoor playspace that encourages students to feel valued when they start their education.

Prospect School, Auckland.

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.

Prospect School, Auckland.

The existing space was not really working for the school. With some humps and artificial grass that were falling apart, it was not user-friendly and looked dated.

Silverdale School, Auckland.

“We got this fantastic space that kids love using. They can have lunch and also do some work on it.”

Principal, Cameron Lockie

Silverdale School, Auckland.

Glenavon School, Auckland.

The new entrant teachers were eager to transform this dirty and unused area into a vibrant multi-disciplinary space for children to learn and relax.

“The

open space allows teachers the ability to create a custom learning environment that’s easy to adapt and keeps students engaged throughout the term.“

Deputy Principal, Rachel McDonell

Glenavon School, Auckland.

The team at Te Papapa decided it was time to change an uninviting space into a culturally rich playspace.

Te Papapa School, Auckland.

Te Papapa School’s new entryway space is a beautiful and inspiring addition to the school. It is a reflection of the diverse student body and the culture of the Pacific Island students and families in their community.

Te Papapa School, Auckland.

With a vision to create a thrilling and exciting new play space at Papatoetoe West School, ex-principal Diana Tregoweth posed a challenge to the student body. To make this outdated and hard to maintain area into an imaginative and playful space.

Papatoetoe West School, Auckland.

“The new play area is a combination of all efforts and a shining example of what can be achieved when schools allow students to bring their ideas to the table and give them an opportunity to take ownership of their learning environment.”

Ex-principal, Diana Tregoweth

Papatoetoe West School, Auckland.

Kereru Park School, Auckland.

Kereru Park Campus featured an underutilised glade already popular among children and wanted to maximise the play value in the area.

We transformed the area into a village designed for unprescribed and imaginative play, making the most of the natural setting to encourage creativity and exploration.

Kereru Park School, Auckland.

Creo was appointed with a mission to redefine the outdoor spaces at Orewa College. The task was to transform two busy areas, converting what was once a bleak, concrete-dominated space into a vibrant, welcoming, and safe environment for the students.

Orewa College, Auckland.

With plenty of seating and space to move around, it’s become a popular spot for students to relax, eat, study, and socialize.

Orewa College, Auckland.

With an “absolute eyesore” space, Ash Maindonald wanted to change the depressing state of the school centerpiece and showcase it for new families wanting to enrol their kids.

Western Heights School, Auckland.

“The space is flooded with children every day. Little ones, big ones, they just love it. They can hang out, they can relax, they can challenge themselves, they can find peace, they can find friendship. It’s a really cool, fun place for them.”

Principal, Ash Maindonald

How Creo works.

Site Hui

Our team will catch up with you to listen and understand what are your vision and goals. We’ll listen to you and walk around your space to gather the details that will translate into your design.

Concept Design

Our specialist landscape architects transform your ideas into stunning 2D and 3D concept designs, complete with accurate costings and a fixed price guarantee.

Detailed Engineering

Our design engineers meticulously create buildable and compliant manufacturing drawings, ensuring a seamless transition from concept to reality. 3.

Expert Manufacturing

Skilled craftsmen at our workshop bring your playground designs to life, offering a mix of locally made and imported equipment for a truly unique space.

Efficient Project Management

Dedicated project and site managers oversee the entire build, ensuring efficient and timely completion of your playground project.

Professional Installation

Our experienced teams handle every aspect of the installation process, from site establishment to landscaping and final clean-up, for a hassle-free experience.

One-Point of contact

Enjoy the benefits of clear communication, fixed costs, and a true-to-concept final product with Creo as your single point of contact throughout the journey.

Made of pour ‘n’ play in our NZ workshop. The Tuatara is a wonderinspiring playspace element that invites imaginative play for its users.

2.3m long x 0.9m wide x 0.5m high

Whare:

Play equipment specially designed for playspaces.

Steppers: You can step, sit or go around it. Our locally made steppers are highly customisable in different colours and shapes.

Custom-designed whare to enhance the cultural aspect of your space. Locally crafted in our workshop, you can customise its size, shape and style.

1.6m x 1.6m

Balance Balls:

Create a challenging playground that develops both bodies and minds. You can have them in different shapes, sizes and colours.

Waka:

Locally crafted high-quality timber equipment like the waka can bring culture into play.

Check out our line of items and see what you could add to your school space to engage students and add more value.

To book a meeting, simply give us a call on 0800 000 334.

Seats:

Weather-resistant seating that can be shaped to different sizes and styles make it custom for your space.