Aesthetics & Design
Today’s playgrounds often serve as a showpieces for a school or facility so being able to create really dynamic designs can be of paramount importance when it comes to specifying a playground surfacing material.
Aesthetics & Design
Winners
From our perspective the two surfaces that get the highest marks for design and aesthetics are poured-in-place rubber and synthetic turf. The ability to create multi-color designs in a nice uniform look probably earns PIP rubber as the winner in the category of aesthetics and design, but kids loves artificial grass and by incorporating multiple colors, mounds and other features, it definitely earns a place at the top.
Poured-in-Place Rubber
PIP Rubber is the most versatile surfacing option allowing designers to create extremely colorful playgrounds with intricate designs.
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Synthetic Turf
While PIP rubber offers more flexibility when it comes to design and color options, kids love grass playgrounds. Grass brings a park-like feel to any area and can even be used to simulate well-manicured baseball fields. We often combine synthetic grass with rubber surfacing in designs so kids can get the best of both worlds.
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Aesthetics & Design
Runners Up
Rubber tiles and bonded rubber surfaces get high marks as well, but they both have limitations that make them a little less attractive than our winners.
Bonded Rubber
To some extent, bonded rubber surfacing and poured-in-place surfacing share most of the same design characteristics, but since bonded rubber often features mulch-like pieces or chips, it often does not work as well with more complicated designs. However, if you desire a natural wood-mulch look without the maintenance, cleaning and constant need for replacement, bonded rubber may be your choice.
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Rubber Tiles
While playground tiles are great for creating checkerboard patterns, they are limited when it comes to making curves and other small elements that allow for cooler designs. Plus, rubber tile playgrounds tend to lose their aesthetic appeal over time as the tiles settle and gaps form.
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Rubber Mulch
Because it comes in a variety of colors, rubber mulch offers designers a little bit of freedom when designing a playground. However, unless play areas are separated by a large distance, it’s probably not wise to use more than one color. Plus, like all loose-fill materials, you can’t create any intricate designs and it tends to get scattered about.
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Engineered Wood Fiber & Wood Mulch
If you are going for a very natural look, then EWF may be the best option for your playground. However, like most loose fill options, it does not provide one with a lot of design flexibility.
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