Date of Award

5-2015

Document Type

Terminal Project

Degree Name

Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)

Department

Landscape Architecture

Advisor

Hyejung Chang

Committee Member

Mary Padua

Committee Member

Matthew Powers

Abstract

Numerous studies have found that children have a particular attraction to natural environment. Nature play provide an opportunity, gathering children in play together, to develop physical skills, imaginations, communicating skills and to understand the world around them. To successful provide a nature access for neighborhood children, improve their play quality and enhance their play value. Three bodies of knowledge have studied in the literature review: How to introduce nature element into neighborhood open space, what design approach could be made to create various play activities for different ages of children, what improvement could they have during the play activities and resulting in twelve key elements which could help build a success nature play space for children. Then these key elements are decided in to three aspect: spatial, nature element and physical equipments, and three case studies has been done addressed on each of the aspect. The findings are guidelines of how to deal with those twelve key elements during the design process. Design application is an example based on the research conclusion. Mitchell elements playground is an existing playground in lower peninsula of Charleston, SC. It is designed to reconnect children with nature environment by celebrating the expressive potential of the nature materials like nature stone, sand water, site topography and vegetations, and offer children an enticing , stimulating, challenging and educational play space.

Download

Additional Files

Presentation_Xiaotong Liu_2015.pdf (279801 kB)
Supplemental File

Share

COinS