How To Design Inclusive Play On Splash Pads

Chris Thomas of Water Odyssey contributes an article on the importance of inclusion at aquatic facilities

By Chris Thomas of Water Odyssey

Creating ‘inclusive play’ areas is not only a priority for parks but also aquatic facilities, recreation departments, homeowner associations, and community centers—alls of which are installing splash pads with features that welcome users with a wide range of developmental, cognitive, and physical abilities, including different age groups, especially older generations acting as caregivers to children.

There is a trend in all playgrounds—whether dry play or aquatic—to design a play area that includes all community members, regardless of their age or abilities. Splash pads are no different; sections within the play area are created to attract and encourage a wide range of patrons. Also, using a variety of water features, flow, spacing, size, and color can make the facility even more accessible to its users. The inclusive play trend coupled with the needs of a community together dictate specific requirements within a splash pad.

“Community input meetings are crucial to the design process,” says Adam Brewster, landscape architect at Dunaway Associates, a civil engineering and landscape architecture firm. “We engage the users to get a better understanding of their needs.”

“On a recent project, our community outreach meetings included a participant with physical and cognitive limitations, reinforcing the importance of making our project fully accessible. This experience was invaluable for our team as it helped ensure our design would make it easy for her to enjoy the splash pad with her family,” Brewster says.

Inclusivity Designs For Physical/Mobility Limitations

The surface and slopes of a play area must be designed keeping its users in mind. The structural slab upon which the splash pad is built is extremely important for those with physical or mobility limitations. The water must drain properly to avoid “puddling” or “ponding” as this can be dangerous for users.

“The surface must be flat and provide clearance for maneuverability around each of the play features,” Brewster says.

There are specific requirements for slopes and cross slopes on splash pads dictated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure safety and inclusivity. The placement and size of drains must be such the water does not collect in an area and create hazards for users.

Not only do users with mobility limitations need to be able to move from place to place on the splash pad, but they must also be able to operate all the features in the play area.

“Being able to grip, grasp, push, and pull different components is something not all children can do,” Brewster explains. “In the past, we thought having many activators and programmable features around the facility would foster inclusivity, but we discovered many users were unable to operate those features.”

Designers agree many features can be too complex for some users to manipulate. The more successful features are those where one can just walk up and start using them rather than having to look for the activator.

“Water cannons are one of our favorite features,” Brewster says. “The up-and-down motion of the unit turns it on and off, making it extremely simple to operate.”

Inclusivity Designs For Developmental/Cognitive Limitations

The arrangement of play features is key to ensure those with developmental or cognitive limitations have areas within a splash pad to participate.

“A variety of sensory experiences that build upon one another make the facility more inclusive for those with developmental and cognitive limitations,” Brewster says.

For example, designers can create a sequence of features, starting with sensory exploration with something as simple as a bubbler, and slowly graduating to those with increased intensity, which draw users into the splash pad. When done properly, this sequencing provides participants the opportunity to try something more powerful, like an archway with spraying water, but also allows them to quickly retreat to a less forceful water feature. Moving from one zone to another allows users to explore the area at their own pace.

Unlike playgrounds rated by suggested ages, it is important splash pads are defined by the intensity of their water features. For example, some children are not keen to get their head wet as it is a sensory experience, not necessarily related to a specific age group.

“What we have learned with cognitive and developmental stages is each child develops their ability to process sensory experiences differently,” Brewster says. “It is therefore important to have zones with lower water use that progress through a sequencing path, which moves up to more energetic features, such as dumping buckets.”

As a result, manufacturers of water features now offer product lines with different intensity levels and options to accommodate the overall size and plan of a splash pad for potential users.

Today, many elements are available that make play sequencing an engaging attraction. One can start with a range of bubblers and water-weaving features to create visually interesting patterns, which draw users into the splash pad without the fear of being confronted with a lot of water all at once.

“Another one of my go-to favorites is the ‘mushroom- maze’—a simple, yet attractive design for users of all ages and abilities,” Brewster says. “Kids can either play from outside the mushroom of water or sit under the dome of sprays, which creates a pleasing white noise and allows them to retreat into a world of their own.”

Within an inclusive splash pad, there should be separate areas for different activities—where participants can be soaked or splashed, in zones of high levels of energy as well as provide areas along the edge of the facility for those who prefer to enjoy by themselves.

Inclusivity Designs For Older Generations

When designing facilities to include older generations, both the splash pad surface as well as the surrounding area needs to be flat for the wheels of walkers and wheelchairs and should not have any irregular cross slopes for those with mobility and balance limitations.

“The surface must be slip-resistant, smooth, and flat,” Brewster says.

Older users are generally in a supervision role, and therefore, it is important to provide comfortable areas for them to stand or sit and be able to oversee children. Shaded seating and accessible routes to benches make a splash pad highly successful for caretakers, especially grandparents.

“The splash pad or spray ground is often the centerpiece of the design while the supporting group pavilions, benches, and shade areas help create an inclusive environment for older generations,” Brewster says.

Importance Of Sightlines And Supervision

In addition to the inclusive-play elements incorporated into a splash pad, providing unobstructed sightlines across all areas is key for supervising children, especially those who might be experiencing physical, developmental, or cognitive limitations. Designers do not find large, solid elements as an ideal choice for water play areas; features should be minimized, thus limiting the places where children can hide. A larger variety of these components encourages play, fun, and exploration while cooling the skin and soothing the mind with different water sounds. An inclusive splash pad can make any park or community an attractive gathering space for all.

Importance Of Sights And Sounds

As with any community gathering space, having a visually striking splash pad can provide excitement and interest for all users. Using a large, iconic water feature piece within the splash pad is important. Large buckets of water that anchor the splash pad add an element of attraction even when the facility is not in use. Just watching the water flow—even from a distance—adds to the excitement. One of the more eye-catching options for splash pads is large rings that spray a mist. These are both attractive and easily integrate into a sequencing design for inclusive play. Having water splash, cascade, and bubble creates a series of soothing sounds, which invariably enhances the ambiance.

It is also important to remember splash pads serve more than mere water play areas. By employing strategies to enhance the overall visual esthetics, a splash pad can lend year-round appeal to a facility, even in the winter. Some clients, especially homeowners’ associations and residential developments are very interested in adding lighting to their splash pads and changing their colors several times a year. For example, red and green can be used around the winter holidays.

“Offering lighting as one of the many features helps designers think outside the box. Of course, custom water and lighting elements create an exciting visual impact,” Brewster says.

Choosing Water Feature Products

When choosing inclusive play products from different partners, one must take into consideration everything from durability and ‘play value’ to products that provide a variety of experiences.

“As designers, we tend to evaluate an entire product line from a supplier to see if it offers a variety of inclusive play items,” Brewster says. “Designs are more cohesive if they include elements for everyone rather than having to piece together inclusive play features from various product lines, which can make those components look like an afterthought.”

When selecting a manufacturer, one must choose a partner that can provide a full product line that offers inclusive play water features. Many companies can customize these elements, too.

A splash pad play area can become a gathering place for people of all abilities, ages, and backgrounds to relax and connect through the joy of water. Not only does the naturally inclusive landscape of a splash pad offer a fun adventure for a community, but also satisfies their unique physical and cognitive needs. A simple but powerful space, an inclusive aquatic facility offers a glimpse of the larger picture of universal well-being and connectivity.