The recently opened Wellington Square Playground, located in the heart of Perth, is sure to be a destination for locals and tourists alike. Also known as Koolangka Koolangka Waabiny, or Children’s Playground in Whadjuk Nyoongar, the new playground is a visually stunning highlight of the expansive park. Paying homage to the local culture and flora, the colourful discs suspended above the playground were styled with an Aboriginal influence and reflect the colours found in Western Australian wildflowers.
Ronstan Tensile Architecture played a key role in bringing the playground to life, working alongside designer of the shading elements ,Tensys Engineers and play space architecture firm Playce. Tasked with the realization of a complex and visually engaging structure that would provide effective shade while enhancing the vibrancy and atmosphere of the park, Ronstan’s specific scope for this project included the development and interface of the shading elements onto the three tensile mesh shade structures Ronstan installed above the playground.
A combination of various custom powder-coated aluminium and Perspex® acrylic discs make up the colourful shade structure, suspended by a wide aperture Carl Stahl® tensile mesh. The importance of careful and considered design cannot be understated when suspending additional attachments on mesh, especially when they will be hung above a children’s playground. The structure must be carefully modelled and analysed to understand how it performs in all weather conditions before components can be sized and selected to ensure the stability and integrity of the structure over time. With all possibilities and safety factors in mind, Ronstan developed and manufactured multiple custom connections which can be found throughout the assembly. The connections of the discs to cables, cables to tensile mesh, and cables to masts were all purpose-built and designed for this specific job and application.
Between the masts, the X-Tend™ Mesh is supported by Ronstan ACS2 Stainless Steel cables. These cables are Grade 316 Stainless Steel for superior corrosion resistance and aesthetics, also featuring a turnbuckle on one end for maximum adjustability.
Ronstan is proud to be involved in this project and to have contributed to such a wonderful development for the entire Perth community.
All photos © Archer Imagery
