A project for a children's park which was proposed but didn't take over

1. DEFENCE COLONY
CHILDREN’S PARK
INDIRANAGAR
BANGALORE
Cherry Garden and Landscapers
Contact:
+91 7899636688
+91 7892895596
Email: mailcherrygardens@gmail.com
Website: www.cherrygardens.in
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2. CONTENTS
1. Brief history
2. Problems areas, Causes and Effects
3. Hypothesis
4. Recommendations
5. Other problems and execution plan
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3. BRIEF HISTORY (Based on local inputs)
The park could have been a part of a lake or a marsh land which could have then
converted into children’s playground with the onset of urbanization.
The playground is situated on a sloping terrain which still acts as a valley for water
passage during heavy rains. The storm water drain which passes through the
playground carries most of the water out provided it is functional at it’s full
capacity.
Overtime, the playground has seen an increase in play equipment which has also
resulted in an increase in footfall or usage of the facility.
Trees present in the area provides enough shade throughout the year.
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4. PROBLEM AREAS (Based on local inputs and our observations)
Traditionally parks are covered with vegetation but since
this playground sees high traffic from the surrounding
locality, survival of grass or other vegetation is a
challenge. The exposed soil is posing major soil erosion
issues, as well as a lack of vegetation in the area.
The playground, being located in a sloping terrain
receives rain water from the higher terrain in addition to
direct rains, this causes the gushing of water inside the
park premise eroding soil with the flow of water.
Land that is left vacant without vegetation exposed soil is
posing major soil erosion issues.
• As soil is being eroded, height from walkway to ground
level in play area has increased to about 1.5 feet, making
it difficult to use by both kids and adults.
• River sand present in the sand pit also gets constantly
eroded.
• Parts of the man holes are exposed above ground level ad
a result of eroded soil around it, this poses danger of
accidents to kids.
• Base of equipment such as slides, swings are also
exposed and poses threat to kids’ safety without
supervision.
• Storm water drains are blocked with the build up of soil
in them, obstructing the efficient flow of water leading to
flooding or waste water backing up. This could also pose
hygiene issues.
CAUSES EFFECTS OF SOIL EROSION
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5. HYPOTHESIS (Based on study)
Due to the park's sloping terrain,
water flowing into the park area
from the North gate rushes down
to the lower level, eroding soil as
it makes it’s way towards the
South East drain and gate.
Traditionally in parks, this is rectified by dividing areas
and the addition of vegetation.
Sectioning of areas and blockages created by plants
reduces the water pressure and allows slow & even
distribution of water throughout the terrain.
Additionally, it traps soil particles, which over time
reduces the need for replacing existing soil.
Blocking off of sections using vegetation cuts down
the mobility of kids to a great extent.
Maintenance of plants in a
kids intensive playground is
considered a challenge as
children tend to damage the
plants during play.
As with thick bushes, fear of
snakes and critters among
parents also poses a
challenge.
Problems with considering traditional solutions
These traditional methods also are less engaging
to the children.
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6. RECOMMENDATIONS
Installation of cow guard at the North gate
Low height hardy plants suitable for shade conditions to be
planted at the periphery of the play areas. This acts as second
level barrier to reduce water pressure into the main play
areas.
The BWSSB drain lines run
along the north entrance
which connects to the main
storm water drain. Installing
the cow guard in place of
the regular concrete blocks
at this level reduces in-flow
of water into the park
premise right at the entry.
Plants at the periphery
Plants recommended:
• Spider lily/ Hymenocallis lily
• Schefflera
• Acalypha varieties
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As there is heavy vehicle movement involved during
playground maintenance, the minimum mild steel
specifications for the cow guard must be considered:
• 10-12 gauge mild steel.
• 1” or 1.25” square or round pipe must be used.

7. RECOMMENDATIONS
Overland flow management
Creating interim blockages to reduce the pressure of water
flow is essential to curb soil erosion. This can be done
through various methods as vegetation in the play area is
not a suitable solution.
This can be achieved by adding creative solutions which
double down as play elements such as labyrinths,
hopscotches connecting with each other.
This also enables us to grow shade grass in the overall play area. This helps us to:
• Ensure safety of kids during their movement while providing soft landing.
• The roots of shade grass hold the soil firmly.
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8. RECOMMENDATIONS
Overland flow management
Individual elements can be interconnected to form play
layouts as shown.
These solution allows open circulation space while also
solving the soil erosion issue to a large extent.
This also creates an interesting factor in the play area
and also helps in generating curiosity among kids
without the need of sectioning off the entire land mass.
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9. RECOMMENDATIONS
Overland flow management
Old tires can be painted to
repurpose them as both
functional & aesthetic
structures.
With planning, painted
tires can also be used as
play elements in the
layout
As plant borders inside the play area needs to be
avoided, vertical painted tires can be embedded into
the ground.
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10. OTHER PROBLEM AREAS
(Based on local inputs and our observations)
To reduce dust and soil erosion, the brooms currently
being used can be replaced with a leaf rake.
A substitute to the broom can be a leaf blower, but that
would only be a partial fix because the dust would still be
a problem.
EXISTING LAYOUT REFERENCE
North Gate
South Entry
All the mentioned solutions can be planned for the entire
playground and be implemented in phases.
The play area with
seating space and sand
pit could be the first
phase for execution.
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CLEARING DRY LEAVES:
IMPLEMENTATION OF SOLUTIONS