Tuen Mun Inclusive Playground

Location: Hong Kong SAR

Year: 2018

Tuen Mun Inclusive Playground is located in Tuen Mun Park. It is the first barrier-free play space for children in Hong Kong incorporating two natural elements: water and sand. It provides varied inclusive play facilities for children of all ages and abilities to enjoy together in a harmonious, happy environment.

How might we provide a comparable user journey for users of different abilities?

This playground provides a thoughtfully-planned space where children of diverse ages and capabilities can equally enjoy a variety of physical, sensory, and social play activities. Kids can engage in challenges tailored to their abilities and interact with their peers while having fun in this vibrant environment.

Regardless of their abilities, children can climb over frames of varying heights, use different slides according to their abilities, dig up eggs from the sandbox, and interact with a variety of swinging, spinning devices, and movable sensory elements.

How might we encourage different kinds of play in POS?

The playground features five distinct slide styles, including a roller slide designed for wheelchair users, three unconventional swing varieties, and numerous climbing racks at varying heights. These features promote inclusive and intergenerational play experiences.

How might we co-create POS with users?

During the design process, the ArchSD team engaged the community by inviting 30 stakeholders from various sectors, including social welfare organisations, professional associations, tertiary institutions, the LCSD, and competition winners, to participate in two workshops. These workshops aimed to improve the playground’s design and layout, as well as enhance the play components to cater to children’s needs.

As part of the community involvement, the design team visited Yan Oi Tong Tin Ka Ping Secondary School and Hong Chi Morninghope School in Tuen Mun, where they met with over 20 Junior Commissioners who took part in the Junior Playground Commissioner Incubation Programme organised by the PCPA. The team collected feedback from these young students as a valuable reference for future playground projects when engaging the community in the design process.