ABOUT THE PROJECT

With a push from residents and the ever growing need for us all to grow our own fresh produce, Community Gardens are opening up all over Australia at an amazing pace. OUTHOUSE design was selected by Warringah Council to not just deliver another community playground, but to maybe think outside the box and do something different. With our extensive experience working in, and for, local government, as well as our knowledge of playgrounds and community gardens we jumped at the chance to create an interactive space that would combine play, education and a food bowl for the local community

The key challenge was to juggle the needs of many individual stakeholders without compromising the objectives of the broader community. We sought to deliver a playful community garden that would offer a balance of recreational play for a range of ages, together with a community garden facility. A key requirement for Council was that a minimum of 50% of the overall site needed to be used for the community garden and associated facilities. Our creative design offers so much to so many, providing playground equipment that was varied and offered creative, social, physical and active play.

We created a space that would encourage and promote the principles of community gardening and promote sustainability throughout the site and when possible utilise recycled and local materials. The rooftop of the community shelter allows the site to maximise opportunities for water harvesting and recycling. A designated area was created to provide a complete gardening facility on site such as tool sheds, composting areas, cooking facilities and educational areas. All in all this has been a very successful initiative by Warringah council and they have created a space that the local community will come together and take ownership.