HOW TO PROTECT THE SURFACE UNDER THE INCLUSIVE SWING?

Properly performed protection of the area under the device not only ensures the safety of users, but also reduces the frequency of maintenance works, especially weeding.

The area under the swing, despite the fact that it is not large, requires adequate protection, first of all, against overgrowing grass and weeds, and also in order to ensure the safety of users. There are several possibilities and they depend on the way the playground is fully developed and the budget allocated for this purpose.

It is impossible to install the device in geologically unfavorable conditions, i.e. in a boggy or loose ground, causing subsidence of the foundations, or in a ground where water appears after the excavation has been made. Geological conditions should be regulated prior to installation (effective drainage).

Safe entrance

The Inclusive Swing has its own safety zone, which cannot overlap other devices or their safety zones. A wheelchair ramp should be provided in front of the swing.

The manufacturer supplies 2 linear meters of EPDM boards arranged in two rows. These boards should be connected and flush with the communication route. Such organization of space will allow people in wheelchairs to safely and smoothly reach the swing.

However, if the investor would like to arrange the inrun on the swing in a different way, which will ensure consistency with other surfaces used on the playground, it is possible. Instead of the set of EPDM boards provided by the manufacturer, concrete or natural stone paving stones can be used, as well as paving slabs or tartan pavement. It is also possible to use a natural, resin-stabilized surface (eg Hanse Grand).

It is not recommended to use loose surfaces, such as sand, grit, crushed stone, gravel or washed pebble - it is practically impossible to move on them in a wheelchair or it is a serious threat to safety. It is also not recommended to use a grass surface due to its relatively quick degradation due to trampling and uneven grass growth, the appearance of clumps, which also constitute a barrier to the movement of people on wheelchairs.

Surface under the swing

The area under the swing can be developed in several ways. It can be treated separately or together with the device's security zone.

The most important thing is to follow the installation instructions contained in the device's instruction manual and to properly level the device so as to ensure min. 14 cm constant distance from the ground level to the lower edge of the movable platform of the device. It is dictated by safety considerations to avoid the risk of jamming under the swing platform.

Under the swing, it is not allowed to use loose materials that may change their position as a result of using the device, movement around the swing or weather conditions (heavy rain, wind). So, sand, natural earth or fine aggregate is absolutely excluded.

1. Tartan

If the whole area is covered with a tartan surface, then it is best to make it around and under the swing after installing the foundation blocks. The device will be installed after the pavement is completed.

Willowbridge School

2. Paving stone

As in the case of a tartan surface, a surface made of paving stones can be used under the swing. It is best to do it around and under the swing after installing the foundation blocks. The device will be installed after the pavement is completed.

Saarlouis, Germany​​​​​​

Surrounding area

The safety zone of the integration swing should be clearly separated. It can be separated from other devices. The use of typical fences, such as a mesh or a panel, is not recommended, however, so as not to create the impression of a "cage", unless it is a fence with a maximum height of 80 cm. Such a height will clearly mark the barrier, but will not separate the users of the swing from other participants in the game like a cage. Constructions made of jute rope or a hedge can also be used as a fence.

Łazienki Królewskie, Warsaw. Materials: Spartanie dzieciom foundation

Ideally, in terms of style, the area under the swing is made of the same material as the securing of the safety zone. Particularly important are the zones next to the swing, 1500 mm wide from the device. This is the place where caregivers or other people who are not playing at the same time with the person in a wheelchair on the device are most often. This place, if it remains a grass surface, will be trampled the fastest, giving the impression of disorder around.

There are several possibilities of developing this space in an aesthetic and safe way.

1. Tartan

In a situation where the entire area is covered with tartan, i.e. a shock-absorbing polyurethane material, it is recommended to use it both under and around the swing. It is a good practice to make the tartan safety zone surface in a different color than the rest of the surface. It will be a clear separation of this space.

Willowbridge School

2. Concrete paving slab

The area around the swing can be paved with paving slabs. As the traffic volume and the load in this place will not be high, concrete curbs can be dispensed with, replacing them with an ecobord curb or concreting the edges. When choosing the plates, the edges of the plates on the side of the unit's platform should be deburred at an angle of 45 degrees.

3. Paving stone

Natural or concrete paving stones are a good material for the surface around the swing. As the traffic volume and the load in this place will not be high, concrete curbs can be dispensed with, replacing them with an ecobord curb or concreting the edges. It is a good practice to make the surface of the safety zone in a different color of the cube than the rest of the surface. It will be a clear separation of this space.

FEZ Berlin

4. Hypertrofic parking grate

If you want to provide a larger area of ​​biologically active surface, you can use an overgrown parking grid, which will stabilize the area, but will allow the grass to grow. The downside to this solution is the need to mow the grass in this location. ATTENTION! The trellis cannot be used under the swing, because plants should not grow under it. When swinging, they will hook onto the platform and block its movement.

5. Natural pavement stabilized with resin

Natural surface stabilized with resin, eg Hanse grand, is a kind of permeable surface, so it is recommended for naturalistic areas. However, attention should be paid to its durability in heavily frequented places. You can use such a surface around the swing, but after a careful analysis of profitability (the surface can be destroyed by people around the swing).

Plac Aleksandra Gierymskiego, Sławno, Poland