Trinity School of Durham & Chapel Hill
Trinity School of Durham & Chapel Hill
Durham, North Carolina
Year
2026
Have a Project?
Need help getting started, please contact us or check out our resources.
Overview:
The project at Trinity School of Durham & Chapel Hill began through a collaboration with Bienenstock, with a shared goal of creating more than just a playground. Together, they envisioned a space that celebrates the natural landscape, transforming it into a setting where play and learning flow directly from the land itself. This vision embraces the creation of dynamic, welcoming, and restorative landscapes that encourage playful, meaningful connections with the natural world.
As the school’s existing play facilities were nearing the end of their life, Trinity saw a chance to reimagine their space. Rather than simply replacing components, the new design treats the entire landscape as a play and learning space rooted in nature.
Planting native trees and regenerating the soil not only restores ecological health but also sets the stage for a dynamic play environment.
Berms, hills, and slopes invite climbing and rolling, and dedicated zones encourage gross‑motor play alongside creative problem‑solving and social collaboration. Singular swings and woven pathways thread through the landscape, offering both challenge and calm so children can choose their own level of engagement. This transformation demonstrates how accessible nature play invites people of all ages and abilities to connect with nature and learn through play.
Trinity’s campus includes a wooded corridor and an existing drainage course. These features are no longer barriers; they become the heart of the new play space. Trails wind through the trees, and the drainage course is reimagined as a seasonal waterway for exploration. The result is a multisensory environment that offers:
- Dramatic play zones where imaginative stories unfold among logs and boulders.
- Social gathering spaces that are nestled beneath the canopy for group play and conversation.
- Quiet nooks for contemplation and observation provide tranquil spaces for reflection and observation.
This approach invites children to develop a relationship with their local ecology while also offering educators an outdoor classroom for science, art, and reflective learning.
