DesigningPlay_CATALOG-2018

2018

MIRACLE

CREATE

FUN!

CREATING FUN

PLAY ENVIRONMENTS TO

ENRICH COMMUNITIES

CREATING FUN

PLAY ENVIRONMENTS TO

ENRICH COMMUNITIES

CREATING FUN

PLAY ENVIRONMENTS TO

ENRICH COMMUNITIES

CREATE

FUN!

ELEPHANT PLAY - SEASTAR

HAGS &

UPC PARKS

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

FRIENDS OF DIMAGGIO PARK

CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Miracle Playsystems is your leading play equipment

design, distribuon, and specialty contracng firm,

providing communies with unique and visually

stunning design soluons.

Our dedicated team of design and construcon sales

experts will help you through each phase of your

project, ensuring the utmost quality, value, and the

outstanding customer service. You will always have

one reliable point of contact through the whole

process when you work with Miracle Playsystems.

Our creave staff connually educates clients on the

newest trends in playscape design and cost effecve

ways to use them.

With over 30 years in the industry, we are the exclusive

supplier of top recreaonal products, including

Miracle Recreaon, Elephant Play, UPC Parks, Rocks

and Ropes, and HAGS -- our clients always have lots

of opons to choose from.

Designing compliant playgrounds and providing

exceponal customer service are always our primary

concerns. Creang fun and excing playgrounds to

enrich communies is our passion.

inspired

informed

better

you

CREATE

FUN!

your

vision

Our team of regional account

mangers and designers will

work with manufacturers and

engineers around the world to

make that vision a reality.

Express your unique style

12 YOUR VISION

Bring us your vision and our team will

work with you to make it a reality.

Our in-house design staff are well

versed on understanding how to

work with your site conditions to

provide responsive solutions.

We provide designs for all budgets -

no matter how big or small.

18 YOUR FUNDING

Is your vision greater than your

budget? We can recommend

fund-raising and cost saving tools

to help you reach those goals.

20 YOUR PROCESS

If you’re ready to get started on your

project and don’t know where

to start, we have compiled tools

to help guide you through it. Our

goal is to make the process of

planning and purchasing a

playground fun and easy.

e inspired

play for all

Ignite the imagination

22 PLAY FOR ALL

Every child deserves to feel exhilarated

and experience new sights, sounds and

textures. We offer a variety of products

that provide accessibility and

sensory benefits to create a truly

inclusive playspace.

28 PLAY ANYTHING

Our custom design team can give you the

support you need to develop

unique designs to meet today’s ever

changing compliance requirements.

30 PLAY ANYWHERE

Sometimes you don’t need a structure,

just an imagination. We believe in creating

fun anywhere. Play should be something

that can happen as part of daily life, not

just on the playground. We can help you

develop unique designs to fit any location.

32 PLAY ENVIRONMENT

The fun doesn’t stop with the play

equipment. We offer playful product lines

to complete any play environment. Share

your inspiration with us and we’ll help you

create it.

e informed

Site

furnishings

Knowing is half the fun

36 PRODUCT OFFERINGS

We make every effort to carry all the

products you’ll need when you

are designing your play environment.

Our offerings include:

Play Equipment

Outdoor Fitness Equipment

Dog Park Amenities

Site Furnishings

Shade Structures

Safety Surfacing

Something else? Just ask.

38 WHAT’S NEW ?

Playground design is an ever changing

and evolving art. Our staff works to

keep you updated on the most current

trends and innovative design solutions

coming to market.

46 WHAT’S NEXT ?

We believe play design is approaching

a new era of innovation. Inspired by

play historians, artists and landscape

architects we hope to push the

boundaries of play design. Through the

world of art and design culture,

together we hope to carve a new path

for designing the world of play.

Never stop innovating

52 QUALITY AND DURABILITY

Our manufacturers hold numerous

national and international patents and

have demonstrated their individuality

and technical edge.

54 BUILDING COMMUNITY

Know that when you work with the

Miracle Playsystems team you are

working with an organization that is

committed to giving back to the

community through service and

sponsorship.

56 LOCAL REPRESENTATION

Our local staff includes sales and

customer service professionals, licensed

specialty contractors, and designers

with backgrounds in Landscape

Architecture and education, making it

easier for us to understand all of your

needs. Our expertise gives us the ability

to manage your projects from beginning

to end with integrity, making the process

seamless and easy on our customers.

BERESFORD PARK, SAN MATEO, CA

MILLER COMPANY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

our products

2-5

years

Net

play

5-12

years

Site

furnishings

Sport courts

E mbank

e nt

Linked

Play

Music

Play

Outdoor

Fitness

Nature

play

safety

surfacing

Bring us your vision and our team

will work with you to make it a reality

BERESFORD PARK ,

SAN MATEO

MILLER COMPANY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

bring us

your vision

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

MILLER COMPANY

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

CITY OF SAN MATEO

Express yourself

Each project is unique. Maybe

your vision is for an all inclusive

play area, maybe it is for an

adventure play area for a green

program, maybe you want it to

feel like a tree house or a Bug’s

Life or a Miwok village or an old

ghost town. It can be hard to

determine what is possible and

navigate the required standards.

That’s where we come in. If you

bring us your ideas we will help

you get there.

We take the time to get a thorough

understanding of our projects in order to

provide informed design solutions

OSAGE PARK,

DANVILLE

CALLANDER ASSOCIATES

“This has got to be the project (of all the ones we’ve

documented) that brought in the most high praise from

parents. Literally ‘everyone’ at some point pulled me aside

and raved on how wonderful your playground is, how

they’ve been waing for something like it, with all it’s fun

secons. You all did it again!!” Billy Hustace

Site Specific

Our in house design staff are well

versed on understanding how to

work with your site conditions

to provide responsive solutions.

We consider each site and provide

custom designs based on our

customers desires and their unique

site constraints.

bring us

your vision

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

TOWN OF DANVILLE

CALLANDER ASSOCIATES

LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECTURE

The Old Town and Rail theme is

successfully conveyed in play equipment

customization, surfacing, audio

elements and setting.

- Dave Rubin, Callander Associates

The biggest challenge was working within the

context of the old play area and reserving as

much budget as possible for play equipment

and not infrastructure and edges. For that

reason, Callander Associates kept the existing

walls and accentuated them by wrapping it

into the play design. The Town wanted to

refresh the existing play area, but keep with

Old Town theme that was already established.

Custom surface mount posts were created in

order for the structure to be able to connect

to an existing wall Sound panels were

customized to be specific to theme – One

with different sounds of a train and a second

that is specific to sounds of an old town.

The landscape architect was able to provide

mp3 files to choose their own sounds. Town

and Railroad Station signage and signal were

each created based on the ideas from the

landscape architect. This included a Hotel

Sign, General Store, Jail, Bank and a Saloon.

Train Station details included a custom

clock tower, luggage station and signal. To

complete the theme, Mining Train Car and

handcar spring riders were customized from

satndard components.

Bring us your vision

and our team will work

with you to make it a

reality

e you

Finding Funding

Is your vision greater than your budget? We have fund-raising

and cost saving tools to help you reach those goals.

Donor solicitaon can be a great tool to help your community fundraise to create an extraordinary

play environment. Our team has worked with community groups, schools and public agencies to

help them improve their playgrounds and park facilies. We have seen many organizaons ulize

creave and innovave ways to solicit funding for their projects. Here are some examples of great

tools to help you get started with solicing funding.

Donor booklets

Develop a booklet to share with potenal donors to describe your vision for the

park and provide an explanaon of what they will receive as a recognion for their

donaon.

donor

programs

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

City of San Francisco,

Friends of Lafayette Park

and Miller Company

Landscape Architects used a Donor Booklet

to share information with potential donors

MILLER COMPANY

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Events

Consider hosng an event like a

“My School Color Run” to help you

meet your fundraising goals.

http://www.myschoolcolorrun.com/

Webpage

Create a web page or website to create excitement about the project. This is a great

place to share your story and can be used to help monitor progress of donaons.

Friends of Grattan Park created a fundraising page on their website to allow people to submit donations on-line and monitor the

donations programs progress. Visit the site at GrattanPlayground.org

Recognition Program

Decide on a method of recognizing donors for their contribuon.

Hayes Valley Playground, San Francisco included a donor recognition mural mosaic in the design of the playground to recognize

donors for their contributions.

Purchasing Programs

Many manufacturers or dealers offer

purchasing and financing programs

to help make the process of geng the

equipment you want faster and easier.

Contract Procurement

Local Procurement Contracts Available:

California Multiple Awards Schedule (CMAS) Contract # 4-99-78-0006A.

FINANCING IS BENEFICIAL

Exclusively for

Only Marlin offers Single Point of Contact Service, an unsurpassed level

of service in which you work with the same person a l the time, every time.

That’s why we understand your business and how we form relationships.

WHY FINANCE?

For Financing Information, please call:

FINANCE

FINANCE APPLICATION Fax completed application: 888-479-1100

MAY WE CONTACT LESSEE IF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NEEDED? Yes No

FULL LEGAL BUSINESS NAME CONTACT NAME

BUSINESS ADDRESS EQUIPMENT COST

EQUIPMENT LOCATION (if di ferent from above) PHONE

NATURE OF BUSINESS YEARS OF OWNERSHIP STATE OF INC./ORGANIZATION

BUSINESS TYPE:

FAX

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER EMAIL Miracle Playsystems, Inc. primarily uses our CMAS contract on all District Wide Replacement

Projects. CMAS allows a local government such as a city, county, and school district to sole source

playground equipment and playground surfacing at a discounted rate without the need to go to

bid.

The California Multiple Award Schedules (CMAS) program was established in 1994. The CMAS

contracts are awarded and administered by the State of California, Department of General Services,

Procurement Division, in accordance with Public Contract Code (PCC) Sections 10290 et

seq. and Section 12101.5.

The CMAS contract was the first state-wide indefinite delivery contract based on the federal GSA

Multiple Award Schedule contract. It is one of the easiest methods available for California state

agencies to purchase goods and services including Playgrounds and Safety Surfacing. The CMAS

program has proven to be extremely popular among state agencies, with the initiative accounting

for more than $3 billion in purchasing and including more than 4,000 contracts.

CMAS contracts are established using products, services and prices from already existing competitively

assessed and cost compared multiple award contracts. The products, services and prices

are primarily from the federal General Services Administration (GSA) multiple award schedule

program Federal General Services Administration (GSA).

Cooperative Purchasing Programs (Piggyback)

CORP. LLC PARTNERSHIP PROPRIETORSHIP

X________________________________________________ __________________________

H-GAC-Buy Procurement Number PR11-10. California makes available an Interlocal Cooperation

Authority to allow local governments like school districts and municipalities to join and participate

in programs like H-GACBuy. H-GAC is a regional council of governments which is governed

by a board comprised of 35 elected officials from the 13 county regions. The H-GAC Board awards

all contracts, which can then be made available to local governments nationwide thru H-GACBuy.

Miracle Playsystems, Inc. has utilized the H-GACBuy bidding process on more than a dozen local

school district projects and municipal playground projects.

Payments

EQUIP.

COST

MOS.

FINANCE PROCESS

$974 $20,000 $488 $1,948 $354 $287 $976 $30,000 $2,895 $708 $245

$3,860 $1,044 $490

$574 $1,452 $40,000 $1,392 $1,104 $4,825 $2,420 $702

$828 $1,936 $50,000 $936

$1,740 $1,380 $1,170

Why Finance? Imagine ...

MOS.

But don’t take our word for it... SEE FOR YOURSELF!

MOS.

e you

Getting started

If you’re ready to get started on your

project and don’t know where to begin

we have compiled tools to help guide

you through it. Our goal is to make the

process of planning and purchasing a

playground fun and easy.

Visit our website at

miracleplaygroup.com/resources/

Find these Resources and much more

Project Planning Checklist

Our project planning checklist helps our clients know what to expect before kicking off a playground

project.

Budgeting Template

The Budgeting Template is an excel file for developing initial planning budgets for updating play

environments. The form includes many commonly required items and gives a general idea of associated

materials and install costs. The template is user friendly allowing customers to plug in their anticipated

quantities and get a good idea of how much the designed park may cost.

Fundraising Program Resources

Donor solicitation can be a great tool to help your community fundraise to create an extraordinary play

environment. Our team at Miracle Playsystems has worked with community groups, schools and public

agencies to help them improve their playground and park facilities. We have seen many organizations

utilize creative and innovative ways to solicit funding for their projects. This document is created as a

resource to share and help you find the same success in soliciting funding.

Design and Safety Standards

For the Miracle Playsystems design team, safety is always a primary concern. Here we provide documents

to help you understand the current safety standards.

Designing Play Cheat Sheet

Understanding ADA Compliance

ADA COMPLIANCE REFERENCE CHART

ELEVATED PLAY COMPONENTS

TOTAL PROVIDED RAMP ACCESS RAMP OR TRANSFER STATION ACCESS

LESS THAN 20 NOT REQ’D 50% MIN

20 OR MORE 25% MIN 25% MIN

GROUND LEVEL PLAY COMPONENTS (based on number of elevated play components)

ELEVATED PLAY COMPONENTS

GROUND LEVEL COMPONENTS REQUIRED

2 - 4 1

5 - 7 2 (AT LEAST 2 TYPES)

8 - 10 3 (AT LEAST 3 TYPES)

11 - 13 4 (AT LEAST 3 TYPES)

14 - 16 5 (AT LEAST 3 TYPES)

17 - 19 6 (AT LEAST 3 TYPES)

20 - 22 7 (AT LEAST 4 TYPES)

Understanding Fall Zones

Understanding overlapping fall zones is one of the issues that often comes up for designers

when confronted with fitting equipment into play areas. Here are some helpful graphics to get

some clarity around the space between play equipment.

72” MIN

108” MIN

72” MIN

108” MIN

USE ZONES FOR ROTATING EQUIPMENT

USE ZONES FOR TO-FRO SWINGS

USE ZONES FOR STATIONARY EQUIPMENT

e inspired

play for all

HEATHER FARM PARK,

WALNUT CREEK

BORRECCO/ KILIAN & ASSOCIATES

On occasion we are fortunate enough to be asked to be part of a truly awe-inspiring project that changes the overall

feeling of a community and brings excitement and life to an otherwise tired and dated park. This is exactly the case when

we were asked in 2013 to be part of the team tasked to makeover Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek, CA. The existing

30,000 square foot play area was one that had dated back to the early 1990’s and was in need of a major renovation to

bring it to current code compliance and to bring the fun back. Heather Farm Park is the largest public park in the City of

Walnut Creek inclusive of an Aquatic Complex,

Tennis Center, Skate Park, ball fields as well as

lakes with walking trails throughout the park.

The City wanted a truly unique, destination

playground that also offered fully inclusive play

for children of all abilities. What came of this

dream is the newly constructed All Abilities

Playground at Heather Farm Park that opened in

October, 2014!

Starting in 2013, Carolyne Challice, Architect

with the City of Walnut Creek began to envision

what a new All Abilities Playground would

look like and how it could best cater to the

City and the surrounding communities who

call the park home. With the added support of

landscape architect Brian Kilian of Borrecco/

Kilian & Associates, Ms. Challice reached out

to 3 different manufacturers and began getting

Miracle Playsystems team of sales

representaves and designers, helped

the City through the design process to

ensure the new playgrounds would work

to serve kids of all abilies. This is seen

throughout the park with the ramps

which allow for a child in a wheelchair

to access the playground from ground

level up to a 6’ elevated level, enabling

all kids to experience the thrill of play!

HEATHER

FARM PARK

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

CITY OF WALNUT CREEK

BORROCCO/KILIAN &

ASSOCIATES

e inclusive

PLAY FOR ALL

ideas for the space. Through this process they chose Miracle Playsystems to

design and supply the equipment that would sit at the center of this special park.

The custom designed playgrounds by Miracle Recreation & HAGS, along with

the rocks, boulders & fallen trees by Rocks & Ropes as well as the special shade

structures throughout the play area by Sun Ports all work to add the exciting

space.

Miracle Playsystems team of sales representatives & designers, were able to help

the City through the design process to ensure the new playgrounds would work

to serve kids of all abilities. This is seen throughout the park with the ramps

which allow for a child in a wheelchair to access the playground from ground level

up to a 6’ elevated level enabling all kids to experience the thrill of play!

From the opening in October there has already been a huge benefit to the

community; the city has commented on how popular the park is and how many

more people are using the park then before. By drawing in more families and

children, the park has more than accomplished what the city set out to do.

Not only has this renovation transformed the park, but it has re-excited the

community. Now the City’s biggest problem is how to accommodate all the

people who swarm to this park each day. A fun problem to have!

e inclusive

We believe that every kids deserves to play!

Every child deserves to feel exhilarated and experience new sights, sounds and textures. We offer a variety of products that

provide accessibility and sensory benefits to create a truly inclusive playspace. Our inclusive play products are designed

to engage children by challenging them to solve problems, command social skills, grow self-confidence, explore spatial

awareness and captivate every child’s imagination and their every ability.

RAMPS, DECKS AND TRANSFER POINTS

Ramps can include straight, curved and doublewide

ramps to accommodate both one and two

wheelchairs and a variety of designs. Extra wide

decks also give wheelchairs the room they need to

turn around easily.

INTERACTIVE PLAY PANELS

With these interactive panels, all children can enjoy the

nurturing and valuable elements of tactile play at the “just

right” height for everyone. Children with inefficient touch

perception, limited play skills or motor challenges may not

be able to engage fully in many typical play activities that

help children to develop the tactile sense. With a strong

sense of touch, motor actions (such as buttoning or holding

a pencil) are extremely difficult. Interactive play panels offer

all children the chance to explore and engage in tactile play,

which in turn helps them develop skills for life.

ALTA-GLIDE

INCLUSIVE GLIDER

This swaying, bouncing,

wheelchair-accessible glider

makes play exciting for all kids,

with two large benches with

springs for added motion and

exterior standing ledges.

The push-pull motion helps kids

develop balance, coordination,

eye tracking and muscle tone.

Wheelchair access ensures that all

children have the chance to feel

the exhilaration of moving through

space in fun, enriching ways!

SEVEN INSIGHTS ABOUT INCLUSION

1. IDENTIFY THE

“COOLEST THING”

Identify the equipment that children

will be most excited about and make

sure everyone can access it and

enjoy it together.

2. MAKE PLAY PHYSICAL ,

SENSORY AND SOCIAL

Create a diverse play environment that

make children feel good on the physical,

sensory and social levels. Children have

different needs and abilities, so a wide

range of activities will help them achieve

their individual goals.

3. REACH HIGHER

Make sure there are plenty of activities

for children of all abilities at every

elevation on the playground. Children

like elevated play spaces because it’s

exciting to be above everyone else and

reaching high places gives them a sense

of accomplishment.

4. GROUP SIMILAR

ACTIVITIES TOGETHER

Invite children of different

abilities to play together

by locating similar types of

equipment and play activities

close to one another. Play

activities that are either

connected or located closely

together in the same area

encourage the same kind of play

in children of different ability

levels.

5. CHALLENGE THEM ON

MULTIPLE LEVELS

Select play activities that present

a variety of escalating challenge

levels to make sure children of

all abilities remain active and

engaged.

6. PLAY THE ZONES

Develop specialized areas of play for

exciting or calming activities. Kids

who are overstimulated easily by noise

or activity often find quieter areas

comforting. Also, establish orientation

pathways to help guide people with

spatial

disabilities to different play areas without

fear of getting lost. Play spaces because

it’s exciting to be above everyone else and

reaching high places gives them a sense

of accomplishment.

7. TAKE A DEEPER LOOK

AT SURFACING

Instead of mulch or other loose materials,

use protective surfacing like rubber tiles,

mats, turf, or a combination of these

materials. This forms a unitary, shockabsorbing

surface that makes it easier for

wheelchairs and strollers to get to play

activities easily.

THERAPEUTIC SWING SEAT

Our Therapeutic Swing provides a safety harness for children in

need of extra security and support. This snug, supportive seat

offers all children a highflying ride while helping them

coordinate head and eye movements, stay upright against

gravity, develop balance equilibrium and coordinate actions on

the right and left sides of the body.

ROLLER SLIDE

The Roller Slide lets kids experience a new tactile way

to slide with the added movement and texture of rollers

beneath them, and it also encourages cooperative,

inclusive play. The Roller Slide is unique in offering a tactile

component combined with both movement— activating

the vestibular sense — and sensation to muscles and

joints, providing proprioceptive input.

e inspired

bring us

your vision

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

FRIENDS OF JOE

DIMAGGIO PARK

The City of San Francisco and the Friends of Joe DiMaggio

Park brought us their vision of creang a custom mosaic

led fish, inspired by the images above.

play anything

Our inhouse design staff

worked with the City of

San Francisco, Friends of

Joe DiMaggio Park and

the UPC fabricators to

develop these renderings

and model.

Customization

You dream it, we will design it. Bring us your ideas

and we will create custom designs to bring your

inspiraon to life. Our in house design staff works

with local fabricators, out of Redding, CA and Robin

Indar, mosaic arst, out of Chico, CA.

Meet the artist

Robin Indar, mosaic artist - Chico, CA

Robin Indar is a mosaic artist who was born and

raised in the Bay Area and currently lives with her

husband and two children in Chico. She works

with our design team and UPC parks to create

“one of a kind” mosaic pieces on Polyfibercrete

sculptures. Depending on the location of

the park, Robin either works on site after the

sculpture has been set in place, or she does her

mosaic work at the UPC plant to deliver a finished

product to the site. Robin’s work is unique in that

she uses tiles that she has handmade to bring the

piece to life. She also makes glow in the dark tiles

that glow up to 8 hours after the sun goes down.

If you are interested in bringing this unique

display of public artwork to your park project,

bring us your ideas and we will work with Robin

to deliver something that has never been done

before!

e inspired

play anywhere

www.landezine.com/index.php/2016/08/guldbergs-plads-by-11-

landskab/

Landscape Architecture: 1:1 Landskab

Client: Municipality of Copenhagen

Team: Keingart (Architects), Sloth-Møller (Engineers)

Vail Nests - Tres Birds Workshop

Atlas Lab - SF Protoyping Festival

Somemes you don’t need a

structure, just an imaginaon

and a desire to have fun!

We believe in creang fun

anywhere. Play should be

something that can happen

as part of daily life, not just

on the playground. We can

help you develop unique

designs to fit any locaon.

play with color

bring us

your vision

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

FERMAN LEAMY

LAND GROUP

Don’t be afraid of color! What a fun

place for kids to play and explore..

e inspired

Your playfulness shouldn’t stop with the play

equipment. Consider ways to integrate playful

placemaking into the full play environment.

e inspired

Express yourself

Your playfulness shouldn’t stop with the play

equipment. Consider ways to integrate playful

placemaking into the full play environment.

play environment

bring

your

vision

Ask us about options for shade,

site furnishings or surfacing

options to compliment your

design. We have standard models

or we can design something

custom for you.

be inspired

what’s new ?

Miracle Playsystems would

like to introduce Elephant

Play. The perfect rope climbing

equipment that is made in

North America.

what’s

Concerto outdoor musical equipment by Miracle Recreaon allows children of all abilies to experience

the joy and benefits of making music. The Concerto Cabasas shake, rale and roll! A cross between

maracas and tradional cabasas, this musical product makes metallic raling sounds when spun

and changes as the drum is moved back and forth.

Musical equipment is the perfect way to add to your

tradional equipment. Perfectly tuned instruments

that anyone can sound great playing.

MIRACLE RECREATION - X-GEN

Extreme Generaon is a towering adventure playground with challenging physical events for children

seeking extreme play! Its design brings play to new heights, with innovave, fully-enclosed skyways

that provide elaborate rope course-inspired acvies far above ground— adding an element of

perceived risk to any play space.

e active

Miracle Recreation has also introduced a sleek

new adult fitness line that is as appealing as it is

cost effective.

what’s next ?

Embankment Play

Embankment slides are the “newest” old trend in

play and Miracle Playsystems’ team are experts in

designing and building these marvels while maintaining

excitement, safety, and compliance.

Joe DiMaggio Park in San Francisco is an example of

this trend of playful design. It incorporates dueling

embankment slides set into amphitheater like steps that

embrace the existing geography of the site.

The embankment slide is not a new concept. However,

with safety codes and regulations such as ASTM, CPSC,

ADA, and CBC, they are a little trickier than they were

for the designers of the past. In this article, we will

define embankment slides versus elevated hillslides,

provide design methods and approaches, offer material

recommendations, and share a few success stories along

the way. We will also show other play features that can be

incorporated into a site with topography.

JOE DIMAGGIO PARK,

SAN FRANCISCO

CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO DPW

bring us

your vision

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

FRIENDS OF JOE

DIMAGGIO PARK

Embankment Slide versus Elevated Hillslide

The CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook defines

an embankment slide as a slide that follows the contour

of the ground and at no point is the bottom of the chute

greater than 12 inches above the surrounding ground (see

Section 5.3.6.3.1. Embankment slides on pages 33-35).

If this requirement is met, the length of the slide bedway

does not require protective surfacing beneath it, allowing

a designer to plant vegetation or design steps along

the hillside. However, if the distance from the chute to

the ground exceeds 12 inches, then it is considered an

elevated hillslide and protective surfacing is required. It is

also a requirement to have a protective area at the exit of

the chute.

what’s next ?

Playing with Topography

A hillslide typically needs a hill, but not

every park has this luxury. If your site

does not naturally include grade changes,

introducing topography into your design also

adds another dimension of play value that

cannot be accomplished by manufactured

playground equipment alone.

Heather Farm Park, City of Walnut Creek,

CA Borrecco / Kilian and Associates

Mounding with surfacing is a versatile

approach to playscape design and can be

introduced in most locations. This can

be accomplished with the use of a foam

base, compacted baserock, or by creating a

series of retaining walls or stacked stone to

create a hillside, as in Lafayette Park in San

Francisco.

Lafayette Park, City of San Francisco

Miller Company Landscape Architects

If you are fortunate to have elevations within your site,

congratulations—you are one step closer to designing

an embankment slide. However, we have found that

using the natural topography for embankment slides is

rarely successful without some modification.

Hillside Park, Rancho Cordova

Embankment slides not only have to have a specific slope

in order to be compliant, but they also need to have a

certain slope to make them fun. The target angle for fun

and safety is between 30-45 degrees.

According to the CPSC Playground Safety Handbook and

ASTM F1487, an embankment slide should be designed

to an average angle of 30 degrees and it must not exceed

50 degrees at any point.

Material Selection

The material of the slide is also something important to

keep in mind. Here we address the pros and cons of a

number of material choices.

Plastic

Miracle Recreation manufactures a chameleon

slide which is a cost effective solution and can be

designed in a series of twists and turns to create a

dynamic sliding experience that can be extended

for long hillsides. A drawback of plastic slides is the

static generated while sliding on plastic makes it

a non-ideal choice when designing a play area for

children of all abilities. The static generated from

plastic slides interferes with cochlear implants and

may not be a first choice when considering an all

inclusive design.

Concrete

The embankment slides of the 70’s were often

poured on-site and made of a coarse concrete. Kids

would ride down on a cardboard box or wax paper

in order to make it slicker. Today’s playground

manufacturers have been able to prefabricate slides

that don’t require that approach. Manufacturers

such as UPC Rocks and Ropes make custom

concrete hill slides that are made out of a smooth

polished concrete. The bedways are slick and never

require additional polishing.

Steel

Norleg, HAGS and Elephant Play manufacture steel

slides that can also be customized to your design

inspiration. Steel should only be considered in

cooler regions or in shaded areas. Positioning these

slides in a north-facing orientation also helps to

keep them cool.

Design Approach

Ordering an “off the shelf” slide, and relying on

your installer to “make it work” on site, is rarely a

successful approach. Bringing the designer, slide

manufacturer, playground safety inspector, and

installer together at an early stage is a huge key to a

successful result.

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Code Requirements

As stated in the CPSC Public Playground Safety

Handbook, embankment slides “should follow all of

the recommendations given for straight slides where

applicable (e.g., side, height, slope, use zone at exit,

etc).”

The diagram below shows a UPC Rocks and

Ropes embankment slide. The slope of the slide

is 30 degrees. The slide comes in one piece and is

mounted onsite to a footing at the top of the slide.

The slide exit has an integral footing.

In order for this to be useful, it is important to

know the ASTM and CPSC’s requirements for slides,

which state that the chute should have sides that

are a minimum of 4 inches high along both sides

of the chute and extending the entire length of the

inclined sliding surface. These sides should be an

integral part of the slide and there should be no gaps

between the sides and the sliding surface. There are

also specifics about the radius of the slide chute

and required clearances that should be carefully

reviewed when locating and manufacturing a

custom embankment slide.

Looking again to the CPSC Public Playground

Safety Handbook, “There should be some means

provided at the slide chute entrance to minimize

the use of embankment slides by children on

skates, skateboards, or bicycles.” This requirement

is important for the safety of all park users. This

can be integral to the slide or accomplished by

providing an access bar that is mounted over the

slide entrance, as seen at the concrete slide in

Hillside Park. This bar can prevent a user from

accidentally falling down the chute and it also

helps position a child in the forward facing sliding

position.

Other Embankment Play

If embankment slides are not the perfect fit

for your site or you want to include other play

opportunities along with your embankment

slide, there are a wide variety of hillside play

events available. Net play by Elephant Play is

customizeable and nets can be designed for

climbing the slope of any topography and can be

customized for a site-specific design. Kids can

crawl under it or over it to get to the top of the

hill.

Rope ladders from Norleg are also a great nature

play addition to any playscape.

PATH TO INNOVATION

Playground design is an ever evolving art. We pride ourselves in working with manufacturers that have a

long history of creating innovative products. We believe play design is approaching a new era of innovation.

Working with artists and landscape architects we hope to push the boundaries of play design.

e better

Quality Means Value

With durability that you can recognize and design features that you can appreciate, Miracle delivers the

leading edge of innovative features and designs to your play project.

Versalok® is Miracle’s patented

clamp design that features a unique

stainless steel, tamper-resistant

fastener that eliminates the need

for unsightly – and costly – clamp

stacking.

Gator Grip® is a three

dimensional textured

pattern on gripping

surfaces to provide comfort

for little hands.

Mira-Therm vinyl coating on

deck surfaces helps to prevent

rapid heat transfer and the

small holes in the surface are

designed to keep little fingers

safe!

Proper materials are vital to the playground

design process. Materials help stimulate

imagination for play as well as provide

visual aesthetic for design. Remember

when playgrounds used to be made out of

old rickety wood and you’d get splinters as

you’d climb up to the platform. You were

emotionally connected to that structure with

multiple senses as each step you took - the

structure would creek and crackle.

Wood can be an attractive material to use for

building but most playground manufacturers

stay away from using it in modern design.

HAGS is one of the leading playground

manufacturers in the world and they

use sustainably forested Nordic

Pine as a primary material for

their structures. Norleg equipment is

primarily manufactured from Robinia

(Robinia Pseudoacacia), which is a type

of wood with unique qualities in terms of

strength and durability.

The Robinia trunks consist almost exclusively

of core wood which is extremely durable. The

wood only shrinks moderately when it dries.

Compared with other types of wood, Robinia

has the highest pressure and bending

strength.

But it is Robinia’s durability when in contact

with soil that makes it especially suited to

the manufacture of playground equipment.

quality

materials

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

MILLER COMPANY

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

MARIN PRIMARY

ELEMENTARY

Recycling

Content

When designing products we try to use

renewable raw material or material with

recycling content. Wood is used in several of

HAGS products. It is a renewable material and

also contributing to reduce CO2 gases from a

green climate perspective. Wood coming from

a sustainable supply chain with well managed

forests is a good example of an environmental

friendly raw material.

The steel we use contains a large extent of steel

scrap. By combining smart design solutions

described above and the fact that steel contains

recycled material steel is an acceptable raw

material from an environmental perspective.

In Sweden about half of the aluminium scrap is

collected and new aluminium contains up to 30%

of old aluminium scrap. HAGS uses two different

types of plastic material. EcoGrip is a type of

plastic used by HAGS containing 92 % recycled

post consumer polyethylene plastic.

Why Choose Miracle Playsystems?

Know that when you choose to work with our team you are not only working

with a talented group of industry experts but you are working with a company

that is dedicated to giving back to the communites they work in.

Miracle Playsystems is a proud

community sponsor

- ASLA NCC and ASLA Sierra Chapter

- Trust for Public Land

- San Franciso Park Alliance - Party for the Parks

- Habitat for Humanity Playhouse build

- ASLA Giants Night and Sharks Night

- SF Market Street Prototyping Festival

- Slide Donation to Berkeley Adventure Playground

- Grand Opening - Snow Cones for Foulk Park

- Beresford Park, San Mateo

- Joe DiMaggio Park, San Francisco

Our team

Kit Steven - President & Founder

Tracey Lydon - Principal

Dana Thomas - Lead Designer

Kit believes an understanding of every facet of the business helps to

develop long-standing relationships with customers. Kit’s background in

construction, where he got his start in this industry, and his hands on

approach mean he is involved in all aspects of the business from participating

in community builds right into design, sales and customer service.

With a business degree from the University of Southern California (USC)

Kit has built one of the most exciting and fun playground companies to

work with. In his down time, he and his wife, Megan, are the parents of two

children, Henry and Lilly, and they enjoy hiking, biking, traveling and giving

back to their community.

As co-owner and our Director of Operations, Tracey is responsible for

overseeing our design and construction services. She brings more than 15

years of design and project management experience working with Miracle

Playsystems and through her past positions with landscape architecture and

planning firms and the City of San Francisco. Prior to her design career, she

worked as an elementary school teacher. Her passion for playground design

is enriched by her love for teaching. Her background makes her uniquely

qualified to provide design solutions that are not only visually stunning but

informed by an understanding of how children learn and play.

Dana received a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from California

Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2002 and is a Certified

Playground Safety Inspector. She brings over 12 years of Landscape

Architectural design to Miracle. Her past projects include large city park

designs, urban streetscapes and university campus redesigns. The transition

to designing play structures and the play environment comes naturally to

Dana and she is able to understand all of the site constraints as well as her

ability to transform conceptual design ideas into creative and artful built

forms. She currently lives in Lincoln CA. with her husband and son.

Leslie Voss joined the team of Miracle PlaySystems in tandem with its

acquisition of the Central Coast region. She came to know playgrounds

from an adult’s perspective through the last 13 years of bidding, designing,

overseeing construction and providing customer support. Leslie believes that

the one-on-one relationship with each customer is the most important – and

most enjoyable facet of the business side of play. In her spare time, Leslie is

an avid church and community volunteer, and enjoys the challenge of raising

Rhodesian Ridgebacks, one at a time.

Leslie Voss - Customer Service Rep

Amber Hildebrand Freitas is a licensed landscape architect and received her

Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis in 2005. She

has a strong background in designing parks, schools and high-end residential

landscapes. As a mother of a kindergartner and a new baby boy, she finds

great joy and fulfillment in designing play structures that help foster the

development and satisfy the energy level of current and future generations.

Amber Freitas - Designer

Kathy Moschetti is our Office Manager. Kathy has been handling accounts

at Miracle Playsystems for 10 years, processing quotes, orders and accounts

receivable and has become an expert in parts to help you with your long

term maintenance needs. Kathy enjoys decorating the office for the holidays,

hiking, and road trips to the beach.

Kathy Mosche - Office Manager

Annie has been in the administrative/customer service field for over 15 years

with a strong emphasis on customer service. Annie enjoys music, baking and

spending time with her family.

Annie Loquiao - Admin Support

Larry Golfo handles our accounting functions. Larry brings with him more

than 20 years of Accounting and Finance management experience. Prior

to joining MPI, Larry managed operations of a publicly traded technology

company in the Silicon Valley.

Larry is married to Tess and has 3 daughters. The Golfo family’s passion

for sports and music keep them busy. Larry’s daughters have been featured

regularly in bay area newspapers and television sports news.

Larry Golfo - Staff Accountant

Felix Vasquez is of our Maintenance supervisor at Miracle Playsystems. He

is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and has over 25 years of

experience as a lead maintenance worker with City of Fairfield. With his

two and a half decades working with playground equipment he brings a

wealth of knowledge and know-how to effectively maintain and keep play

spaces safe and compliant.

Felix Vasquez - Staff Accountant

Miracle Playsystems - Sales Account Managers

Wes DeBow

Chris Olsen

Jean Tyan

Wes has a diverse background ranging from landscape design, construction, action sports

to teaching mechanical and architectural design for K-5th grade. He also served as a

Commissioner on an advisory board for his local Parks and Recreation Department in the

City of Napa and has consulted for various Parks and Recreation Departments. Wes is

committed to his customers’ satisfaction, passionate about play. When he’s not working,

Wes enjoys designing, creating, making art, spending time with his wife and three kids

camping at the beach, in the mountains, riding bikes, motorcycles, wake surfing and

snowboarding.

Chris Olsen believes that children of all abilities should have an opportunity to play

and that every customer should experience a paramount level of service that they will

remember for years to come. Chris spent several years in the Psychology field working with

emotionally disturbed children and then worked for one of the nation’s leading industrial

security product distributors. When he isn’t working, he and his wife Adrienne are spending

time with their young son Nicholas and family dog, Harley, at their home in Livermore.

Chris is an aspiring home cook and avid San Francisco Giants fan.

Jean has a passion for promoting youth development through active learning and play as part

of their school day or in their community. Jean joined the Miracle Playsystems team with

over 9 years of experience in school partnership as program director working with Bay Area

elementary schools for the provision of music education services. She provided a high-touch

service to hundreds of schools throughout the year. Prior to that Jean worked in a number

of technology companies in product management, business development, and international

market development. When not on the job, Jean enjoys recreating outdoors and hiking with

her Siberian Husky

Tammie Ward’s professional background includes over 18 years of account management

experience in the wine industry, where she provided outstanding customer service to her

clients. Enjoying the outdoors and adventure seeking has always been her passion and she

is delighted her work for Miracle Playsystems helps kids experience those same joys. A

Central Coast native, Tammie is an avid hiker and cyclist. She is a graduate of California State

University, San Marcos where she received her degree in Social Science.

Tammie Ward

Ma Durkin

Matt’s strong customer service background makes him a terrific addition to the Miracle team

and allows our clients to continue to get the service and support they’ve come to expect

when working with Miracle. Before joining our team, Matt worked in Sales as a Key Account

Manager for a notable Fresno based medical equipment company servicing key clients and

accounts through the United States. In his free time, Matt enjoys outdoor activities such

as recreational team sports, hiking, and camping. You might even bump into Matt on the

weekend with his young son, playing on one of our Miracle playgrounds, at swim class or at

gym class together.

Miracle Playsystems - Sales Account Managers

Territory Map

Wes De Bow (707)239-4783 | wes@miracleplaygroup.com

Dana Thomas (916) 718-2256 | dana@miracleplaygroup.com

Chris Olsen (925)324-8023 | chris@miracleplaygroup.com

Jean Tyan (650)930-0459 | jean@miracleplaygroup.com

Tammie Ward (831)242-0063 | tammie@miracleplaygroup.com

(includes Gilroy and Morgan Hill)

Ma Durkin (559)545-5274 | ma@miracleplaygroup.com

CREATING FUN

PLAY ENVIRONMENTS TO

ENRICH COMMUNITIES

MIRACLE RECREATION - VIPER SWI NG

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