The natural: Earthscape’s creative designs provide new play possibilities
WALLENSTEIN — It’s a striking building, a two-storey red and black structure that’s modern yet not out of place among the farms that surround it in the countryside outside of Elmira.
It’s the new home of Earthscape, a custom playground design and construction firm that had outgrown its previous digs on the same Wallenstein property.
Bright and open, the office space makes good use of the natural materials that have come to define the company’s work. The adjoining workshop, with its 10-ton overhead crane and 1.5-ton jib crane, can now produce towers and play structures on a much larger scale.
But it’s in a small green space across from the building that the company’s creativity and quirkiness really shines through. There, they’ve turned a patch of grass covering the lowly septic bed into the “sheep pen,” complete with a tidy fence and an assortment of small wooden log animals.
If you’ve seen an Earthscape playground, you’d probably remember it. They’re unique and elaborate, often based on a theme or reflective of the natural or built heritage around them.
A playground in a Waterloo community was inspired by a nearby rail line. One in Calgary illustrates the natural cycle that moves water from the mountains into the prairies. A prominent project in Toronto’s Grange Park — next to the Art Gallery of Ontario and OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design) University — has features inspired by tools of the artist’s trade, like paint tubes, pencils and a palette.
“We try to design spaces for all ages,” said communications manager Laura Hilliard. “These are destination spaces, places of gathering where families want to come back time and again.”
Established in 2005, Earthscape initially focused on residential landscape design and construction. That still represents about a third of its business, but demand for its playgrounds has soared in recent years.
The company now has about 80 full-time and seasonal employees working in Wallenstein and a Toronto field office, a considerable jump from the 35 or so about four years ago. Its playgrounds are found throughout Canada and the United States; upcoming projects include work at the new pier in St. Petersburg, Fla., and at the landmark Presidio park in San Francisco. Requests are beginning to come in from overseas.
“I think we’re open now to considering those international projects,” Hilliard said. “We anticipate that there will be growth beyond North America, and we’re pretty excited about that.”