The Gatton Park on the Town Branch is a new, twelve-acre city park in the heart of Lexington. As a publicly accessible, non-profit green space, it combines nature, art, events and play facilities in a modern urban space.
A central highlight for families is the Water playground with stainless steel water play equipment from Kaiser & Kühne: a spacious water landscape where children can experience the element of water with all their senses.
The location - urban park with lots to offer
Gatton Park is located directly on the exposed Town Branch Creek. In addition to the Adventure Playground, a dog park, a stage for concerts, spacious lawns and catering facilities, the Water play structure one of the most important attractions for children.
The water play area is embedded in a terraced landscape of natural stone and concrete paths. This creates a modern, urban setting that also feels pleasantly close to nature and fits perfectly into the park's design concept.
The task - a robust water play system for all ages
The operators of the park were looking for a Water play structure, which:
- many children busy at the same time
- does not require deep water and is easily visible
- offers movement, experimentation and sensory experiences
- is robust, vandal-proof and easy to maintain
- blends into the design of the new city park
The facility should function as a „cooling spot“ on hot summer days and also be able to be used as an exciting play area with watercourses, damming and steering elements during the rest of the year. The basis for this is our high quality standards, which we fulfil with our Quality seals transparent.
Our solution - multi-level water landscape made of stainless steel
Kaiser & Kühne supplied a complex stainless steel water landscape that extends over several levels of the natural stone terraces. The installation impressively demonstrates how our Water play systems can be realised in sophisticated spatial planning. Typical features of the project are
- Water extraction on the upper terraces
- Children activate water via inflows and water play elements on the higher levels. From there, the water is distributed across the entire facility via channels and pools.
- Archimedean screw as an eye-catcher
- A large Archimedean screw visibly transports water from the lower basin back up again. Children can directly experience how water can be moved „uphill“ using muscle power - hands-on physics.
- Channel systems with damming and steering elements
- Open stainless steel channels, weirs, slides and flaps make it possible to control the flow of water: dam, divert, accelerate or brake. Elements such as bucket runners and turning wheels bring additional dynamics into play.
- Flat water surfaces and floor jets
- In the central area, spacious, shallow water surfaces with floor jets and splashes are created for children to run, jump and play together - without deep water surfaces, but with lots of movement.
Only high-quality materials are used Water play equipment made of stainless steel, which are designed for high visitor frequencies in public spaces and a long service life.
Playful added value - technology, teamwork and sensory experience
The water feature in Gatton Park promotes:
- Understanding of technology: Children playfully experience principles such as water pressure, gradient and energy transfer.
- Teamwork: Many functions are even more fun when used together - for example, when several children operate the screw, slider and chutes at the same time.
- Motor skills and coordination: The interplay of steps, stones, dry and wet surfaces demands balance and agility.
- Sensory experience: Water, stone and metal provide intensive tactile and acoustic impressions without overtaxing the children.
At the same time, the system supports the basic ideas of InclusionDifferent levels of difficulty, clearly visible areas and a variety of play approaches enable children with different abilities to play together - in line with our approach to inclusive play spaces.
Result - a water hotspot in Lexington's new city park
The Water playground in Gatton Park is a clear magnet in the park today:
It attracts families, extends the length of stay and provides an additional venue for events, holiday activities and school classes. For Kaiser & Kühne, the project shows how Premium stainless steel water play equipment can be integrated perfectly into modern urban parks - aesthetically pleasing, durable and with high educational value.
If you would like to see more examples, you will find additional information in our references and in the showroom. Water play systems as well as a large selection of individual Water play equipment.
Left:
- Gatton Park: https://gattonpark.org/
- Distributor: Goric Marketing Group USA
- Pictures: Goric Marketing Group USA
