Background

Options Community Services Society is a community service society that operates transition houses for abused women, a crisis line, counselling services, various youth services, and transportation for the senior/disabled. They are the result of a 2009 merger between Surrey Community Services Society and OPTIONS: Services to Communities Society. According to their website, the purpose of Options BC is to be a diverse organization, united in the purpose of helping people to help themselves and promoting safe, healthy, vibrant communities. With a vision of “Inspiring hope and belonging for all”, the staff and volunteer of Options work tireless to improve their community and the lives of those who live within it.

From their website, Options BC strive to embody:

1. Diversity – Everyone has a voice. We are inclusive, respectful and fair.
2. Integrity  – We are accountable, honest and compassionate
3. Resourcefulness – We are creative, flexible and innovative
4. Collaborative – We work collaboratively as partners and teams within the organization and broader community.
5. Excellence – We go above and beyond ordinary and strive towards the exceptional and extraordinary

Our Role

The purpose of our project is to work with Options BC to help develop an existing site, turning it into a playground for the local community of Guildford, Surrey. Our goals are to design and create a sustainable and natural piece of playground equipment that encourages exploration and discovery. In order to facilitate a natural environment, we are stepping away from traditional playground elements such as jungle gyms, and materials such as metal and plastic. There are, as well, some negotiable and non-negotiable constraints.

Non-negotiable constraints

• Cannot be traditional playground element or material (no plastic or metal)
•  Has to be relatively safe and age appropriate
• Has to be low maintenance
• Should be able to be built by us students, or a volunteer carpenter working with Options.
• Cannot contain areas that may be used for illicit activities (no forts or tunnels)
• Ideally a mobile piece of equipment

Negotiable Constraints

• Variable budget of up to $800
• Can be assembled by hand or purchased
• Can be designed for any location of the reclaimed area

Strategy

Our CBEL group has been researching examples of sustainable and natural design as it relates to playground equipment. Though we have looked into the design of six possible pieces of equipment that could meet the needs to Options BC (such as a hobbit hill, musical chimes, a suspension bridge, a climbing wall, etc), we have ultimately decided to focus on one piece. By doing so, we allow ourselves enough time to also physically construct or assemble the piece. We recognize that the development of the Guildford playground site is a continual process, and believe that presenting Options BC with a physical specimen would do more for progress than simply a site plan.