The Future of Play Spaces
Playworks: An inclusive experience that weaves together cognitive and psychomotor development and social interaction through hands-on play and historic artifacts.
Working together with the Kentucky Science Center (in partnership with Hands On! Studio and Creative Machines), the Waterfront Development Corporation is in the early stages of fulfilling the vision of a “One Waterfront” by delivering a unique play experience inspired by the industrial history of the site and the founding waters of the city – the Ohio River. Departing from the typical and overplayed playground formula, Playworks presents a new inclusive experience that weaves together cognitive and psychomotor development and social interaction through hands-on play with real industrial experiences and artifacts. With initial input from local youth and families, Playworks reaches across the 9th Street divide and provides a one-of-a-kind destination and community resource for the Portland and Russell neighborhoods and west Louisville – a population that has been underserved in Louisville for decades. Playworks will provide a play and learning destination within walking distance to nearly 3,000 households within a 15-minute walking distance.
The project was kicked off with a series of hands-on public engagement activities including kids building their own play experience, discussion of potential play features, and to provide an accessible experience for all abilities, ages, and genders.
Positioned beneath the elevated structure of Interstate 64 and along the banks of the Ohio River, the unique setting for Playworks provides an opportunity to transform a forgotten landscape into a vibrant and productive community destination. At nearly 2.5 acres, the site for Playworks takes advantage of these opportunities by utilizing the interstate structure for both shade and protection from inclement weather, and a structure for necessary infrastructure like lighting, wi-fi fixtures, and security cameras. The site for Playworks provides a rich history dating back to the initial settling of Louisville. From the earliest settlement (Fort-on-Shore) to the steel fabrication that took place on this site, there is an abundance of stories, histories, and materials that have provided inspiration for the vision of the overall park and are represented in the Playworks design.
Taking cues from this vision, the design for Playworks presents three distinct play experiences: The River, The Big Dig, and The Overlook.
The River: Inspired by the shipping history and river navigation, this area provides participants the opportunity to interact with authentic equipment and artifacts like shipping containers, towboat hulls, crane jibs, and industrial pulleys that are used in the river industries. This area of Playworks also contains a 5,000-square-foot event pavilion for educational sessions, school groups, birthday parties, and family reunions.
The Big Dig: The industrial and working history of the site is represented in this section of Playworks. This area provides participants the opportunity to engage artifacts that were historically used in construction and manufacturing. The large-scale elements provide kid-friendly equipment to do work moving sand, role play on a real excavator and dump truck bed, and enjoy active play challenges like navigating huge truck tires and culverts.
The Overlook: Taking advantage of the expansive space below the interstate structure, the Overlook structure is an accessible experience that elevates the visitor above the ground plane, providing views of the river and the park, and provides access to multiple experiences including an observation tower, a boat themed net climbing structure, and an outdoor classroom for science demonstrations or outdoor movies.
To learn more about Playworks, visit: www.playworksatourwaterfront.org.