Situated in one of the ACT’s fastest growing residential corridors, Coree Park was developed to be a new community landmark – a much-loved public space for local families to come together and enjoy. Designed for Capital Estate Developments by award-winning landscape architects, Spiire, the creative vision for the park was directly influenced by the rolling hills of Canberra’s iconic Brindabella mountains.

Centring around two mesmerising curved play towers – the largest soaring almost eight metres high – the design was as challenging to achieve as it was spectacular to look at.

FORGE was initially engaged under the lead contractor RAM Constructions to refine and detail the original concepts. We were then entrusted with bringing the approved vision to life through the manufacturing, pre-assembly and on-site installation stages. The new park has since been welcomed by Denman families and quickly established itself as a much-loved community space.

FORGE_Coree_Park_Spiire_play_structures (2).jpg

Our involvement

Having delivered successful projects previously for Capital Estate Developments in the fast-growing Denman community, FORGE was hand-chosen to collaborate with Spiire and RAM Constructions at Coree Park.

Our initial involvement saw us engaged to help refine and detail the preferred design vision from Spiire, maximising buildability and moments of play within the defined project budget.

Once the final designs and construction methodologies were approved, FORGE then led the pre-assembly and installation stages on site in Denman North, resulting in another spectacular outcome for local families and the wider community.

Design challenge

The distinctive curved forms of the fully-custom play towers in Coree Park were inspired by the rolling hills of the Brindabella Range to the west of Canberra. Our design challenge was to work with Spiire to realise their stunning creative vision in a way that could be safely and practically delivered within the project budget – while maximising moments of play for children of all ages and abilities through two separate, but adjacent, structures offering senior and junior play experiences.

FORGE_Coree_Park_Spiire_play_structures (3).jpg

Construction challenge

Custom play towers always bring their share of construction challenges – precisely because they’ve never been done before. In particular, the large scale and curving nature of the main Coree Park structures involved complex and often highly intricate connection points between multiple play elements and materials. This demanded painstaking attention to detail during the manufacturing, pre-assembly and installation stages to ensure everything fit together seamlessly for work crews, and safely for the children who will use the playground for years to come.

Innovation

As part of the continued drive to enhance delivery outcomes for every client, FORGE intentionally engaged a specialist fabricator with the capacity to trial fit the entire Coree Park play tower in their own factory. Conducted long before the main structural elements were delivered to Denman North, this process ensured each assembly item connected perfectly well ahead of the welding being finalised and protective coatings being applied. Parametric modelling was also used during detail design to calculate and rationalise the radiuses and ensure that fabrication would be possible.

Features

7.9-metre senior play tower with three separated play levels
2.9-metre junior play tower
6-metre tube slide
6 suspended rubber spheres
Rope tunnels and cargo climbing nets
Monkey bars and pommels

Materials

Mild steel (painted)
Stainless steel
Nylon steel-cored rope
Perforated aluminium cladding
100% recycled rubber shock pads
Stainless steel anti-climb mesh

FORGE_Coree_Park_Spiire_play_structures (4).jpg

Safety and risk considerations

As always, community and user safety was paramount at Coree Park. The highly custom nature of the key play elements required ongoing engagement between the FORGE design team and independent third-party play certifiers, with particular attention given to climbing hazards, fall zones and materiality choices to minimise any heat impacts during the warmer summer months.

Project details

Project: Coree Park

Location: Denman North, ACT

Client: Capital Estate Developments

Landscape Architect: Spiire

Lead Contractor: RAM Constructions

Architecture & Design Team

FORGE

Let’s connect!