Town: Lattes (France)
Location: Boirargues neighbourhood

Lattes is a town in the Montpellier conurbation (Hérault département), which is undergoing strong demographic growth resulting from the economic development of the town and the construction or the redevelopment of residential areas. To help bring to life and promote these new areas, where a large number of families live, the town wished to brighten up the parks and green spaces with the creation of play areas. This project came to light with the design of leisure spaces in the neighbourhoods of Maurin and Boirargues, both created by Proludic.

Although the play area in Maurin was dedicated to nature, the area in Boirargues was given the theme of the sea, reminiscent of the heritage of the town’s shipping port and inspired by the Mediterranean Sea only a few kilometres away.

Proludic was the obvious choice what with a bespoke design consisting of a two-masted ship and a sea monster. The two play structures are supplemented with more traditional play equipment items, mostly inspired by Aquatica: animal-shaped springers (turtles, fish)  and small boat, swings and roundabout. 

The aesthetics and coherence of the design, the quality and sturdiness of the products as well as the ease of maintenance of the materials used were the elements the town council took into consideration when choosing Proludic.

A spotlight on the sea 

With its Mediterranean background and its lagoon landscapes, it is only natural that the theme of sea was selected to design this new play area.

The play area thus blends in with this preserved environment and entices children to immerse themselves a little further into the sea world.

An area designed to prompt children to dive into play

With a view to promoting sharing and living well together, the play area is made up of 8 structures that meet the needs of various age groups.

It is designed around a two-masted ship derived from the Aquatica theme, which, 7.20 meters high, overlooks the whole leisure space. This large ship was built and customised specifically for the town of Lattes to meet the purposes of the project.

Accessible for children from three years upwards, this structure has components that combine psycho-motor development and the enjoyment of sharing.

  • The hull of the ship has a number of openings directly in the ground to help the youngest easily sneak in the depths of the ship and enjoy the thought-provoking plays on the play panels.
  • The upper deck can be accessed from both sides of the ship using flexible ladders – one with rungs, the other a hanging net – that stimulate the balance and dexterity of children.
  • Once on the upper deck made up of large anti-slip platforms, children can explore the whole ship and enjoy the various play features with maritime connotations: telescope, rudder, etc.
  • When it’s time to disembark, little sailors can do so thanks to the two slides at the stern of the ship or the sliding pole to port side.
  • The bow of the ship features a double-climbing wall, which sorely tests the strength, suppleness and concentration of children while they climb. When they reach the top, they may climb down again thanks to the sliding poles, thus experiencing the pleasure of being suspended in mid air.

The play area also consists of:

  • A bespoke multi-play equipment in the shape of Nessie. To access the platform, children may use various paths depending on their motor skills:  A stairway with solid steps and handrails for very young children, a climbing ramp with handrails for children with greater balance, climbing nets for older kids comfortable with imbalance and empty space. The structure itself is made up of a tunnel to crawl through. A slide at the rear and a sliding pole at the front of the sea creature enable children to climb down from the structure and enjoy sliding sensations in different positions.
  • Three animal-shaped springers (dolphin, fish and turtle) encourage children to discover the seabed. The rocking mimics the swell and helps children to get to grips with imbalance.
  • Nearby, the springing boat for up to 6 children lets them embark on a rocking movement and encourages them to use their imagination: quick, run if the main ship is under attack or, otherwise, go for a sail on a calm sea.
  • A roundabout with a diameter of 1.5, for 8 children at a time, encourages collective play activity. Accessible for children from three years upwards, the difficulty level increases as the roundabout spins faster.
  • For the children under 3, a swing with pod seats, also present in the play area, provides comfort, safety and pleasure of swinging.

Sea harmony

The structures were chosen to embody all the elements associated with the sea: animals (dolphin, fish, turtle and Nessie) and means of transport (ship and boat). The rocking of the sea is also mimicked using many play elements scattered throughout the play area.

The ground, predominantly blue, is an integral part of the design and reinforces the maritime theme.

The area also includes benches and tables to provide for numerous occasions to visit the play area: picnics, family teas, birthday parties, etc.