Play on Words

 

School children engaging and exploring the Kindess letters at Poringland school built by CAP.CO photography by Kev Foster

26 Components of Play

The ‘Play On Words’ concept offers endless possibilities for a site specific, bespoke play solution that delivers a striking visual impact as well as creating a memorable and tangible connection to place, it’s ‘all in a word!’

By tailoring the word formed by the ‘Play on Words’ letters you can have different impacts on the space. For example the name of a place or brand provides a memorable threshold whilst a suggestion of how to act in the space such as ‘explore’ might encourage users to investigate the space differently. Either way each offer a playful means of communication.

We can match any typeface, colour or letter combination and cleverly link them with thoughtful and age appropriate play, It’s the simple, funky solution to the problem you didn’t know you had.

Packed with Play Value

‘Play On Words’ is packed with play value with each letter offering a different physical challenge and its connection to the next also offers limitless opportunities with a wide range of linking play features. Play on Words can be paired with any brand, school or company colours ways or even mirrored to reflect the environment they sit in.

Play Opportunities

– Create a memorable play journey

– Guided yet free-flow play

– Encourages development of coordination, critical thinking, collaboration and imagination skill sets

I_amsterdam - image from Dezeen

Branding Opportunities

– Beautiful, sculptural forms that amplify a brand or place

– Create interactive and memorable associations with a location or entity

– Providing a highly photographable spot to share on social media!

Love is giant letters by Victoria Pickering

Messaging Opportunities

– Deliver a message in a playful but impactful manner

– Deliver a subtle, or not so subtle suggestion on how you hope people feel or would act in relation to a certain space or environment.

Concept Outreach Opportunities

– Huge opportunity for community outreach.

– Engaging with local people or those that frequently use the space to have input in the design process

– Adds to the sense of identity, pride and place that a ‘Play on Words’ can help instil on a site.

Precedent Project – Poringland Primary School, Norfolk

 

 

Collaboration Design Workshop

‘Play On Words’ is an ideal project in which to collaborate with community groups, schools and businesses to create a play feature that is truly tailored to it’s users and reflects the sites identity. Workshops with schools can help identify key words and phrases that students feel represent their school and empower them in the process.

Design Development

The Poringland ‘Play On Words’ project was born of a workshop with the pupils of Poringland Primary where they work-shopped ideas for a new play offering within their quad.

After settling on a phrase that represented one of the key pillars of the schools ethos our designers set to work developing the play value into the word, embedding a different form of physical play into each letter designed and then linking them together with an additional play connection designed to challenge and inspire children to use the run again and again.

Once happy with the overall design and having developed colourways that tied with the schools aesthetic our technicians drew up the steel form work and drawing package for each letter, ready for prefab in the workshop.

The making of the Kindness Play on Words by CAP.CO

Construction Process

Once the steel framework was created in our Norfolk workshop one of our build teams cracked on with getting the giant letters clad and the play details installed.

The beauty of ‘Play On Words’ is that the majority of works can be completed off-site in our workshop meaning we are not reliant on site factors to allow the build to progress, with each letter able to be perfectly lacquered or painted under the protection of the warehouse. By prefabricating the letter off-site, it also means we minimise time and disturbance on site with just a few days required for install.

Delivery & Installation

The final install of the Poringland Primary ‘Play On Words’ was a smooth process that spanned two days with the steel frames securely bolted into pre-poured pads and a bark mulch safety surface laid around them to embedded them into the space.

The striking and positive impact they have on the space was immediate and they are a gorgeous play feature that will serve the pupils of Poringland Primary for years to come!