Local college graduate visits NB-NK Rotary to present playground design

Andrea Borkowski, a 2006 graduate of New Bremen High School and May 2011 graduate of Ball State University visited the New Bremen-New Knoxville Rotary Club to present her undergraduate thesis on playground design.  Borkowski finished the five-year program to earn her degree in Landscape Architecture and recently completed an internship at Garmann /Miller & Associates in Minster.   “Playgrounds are dubbed as the McDonald’s of landscape,” said Borkowski.  “You can travel anywhere and have the same play experience.  To begin my design research, I studied playgrounds that go above and beyond the usual designs we see.”  When children are asked to draw their own ideas of what they would like in a playground, they are often much more creative than the typical playground designs.  Borkowski noted that playgrounds all share three characteristics.  Well-designed playgrounds create a positive business jump in the communities in which they are located, they are all helpful to a child’s physical and cognitive development, and they alter the way children experience swinging, climbing, sliding and playing outdoors.

Borkowski used the green space between the Miami and Erie Canal Visitors Center and the Crown Pavilion in New Bremen as the primary site for her thesis.    “I studied play environments and I needed a site to apply my ideas,” said Borkowski.  She presented several slides containing diagrams and details about the content, layout, topography, use, and value of the site from the perspective of a playground designer.  Once she established the nature of the site, Borkowski continued her presentation by showing the various elements of her design.  Borkowski considered traffic flow, topography, visibility, accessibility, child development needs, as she developed her design.  Borkowski also gave detailed thought to the integration of local businesses and buildings into her design.  “I tried to plan this so people would be encouraged to visit local businesses like the New Bremen Coffee Shop and the Pub while they visit the park,” said Borkowski.   “I also tried to choose colors that would fit within the natural landscape as it changes with the seasons.”

Once she developed two different design concepts, she evaluated them both based on how well her designs solved site-specific issues.  Based on that evaluation, she then developed ideas on what would need to be done to further improve the design.  “One of the popular theories out there right now is that pretend play is critical to the development of many important skills in children,” said Borkowski.  “All of the important skills are accounted for with activities in my design.  Through adventure play and the incorporation of loose parts, the play in the Imagination Playground would never get boring.  It would allow for an ever-evolving play environment.  I also tried to choose design elements that would allow adults to play with their children.”  Borkowski included many different elements of imaginative play and adventure play that are incorporated into the landscape, into the contour of the ground, and into the actual playground equipment.

“One of the challenges in playground design is that many laws and lawsuits are scaring designers away from incorporating natural landscaping elements into playgrounds,” said Borkowski.  “Natural play incorporates many important activities into the development of a child.”  Many different surfaces were used in and around the entire site to add appeal and to provide opportunity for children to experience a natural site.  “I also incorporated some of New Bremen’s history into the site by adding bricks that contain pieces of information about the town’s history into the walkways,” said Borkowski.  “The overall design incorporates many different elements to help with child development, along with elements of New Bremen’s local culture and history.”

Hosting Rotarian: Kathy Trejo