William Burgess

William Burgess

Toronto, Ontario

Overview:

Places to sit, jump, climb, gather, and slide. This playground offers all of that in the midst of densely planted trees and shrubs.

Years in the making, this playspace was a passion project for Alexandria Maric-Jones. This was a breakthrough project for one of the largest schoolboards in North America. This project broke standard conceptions of planting, density and size, and introduced topography in compliance with the CSA and ASTM. Large in scope and scale, the playground design was the result of a partnership between Bienenstock and Ken Hoyle, the past president of CSLA. This precedent opened the door for projects at school boards across North America.

My favourite spot is the hill that’s packed with gross motor play opportunities. It houses a sideways tree, wacky posts, a climbing wall and loads of trees and shrubs, and is surrounded by beautiful carved furniture for gathering. I also love the stump and stone borders throughout the playground, which offer informal gathering space as well as places to climb and jump.

Size:
2847 square feet

Age Group:
School Age

Built in:
2014

Location:
Toronto, ON

William Burgess