High-level structures
Platforms, towers and elevated environments that create challenge and perspective.
Adventure playgrounds
Adventure play should feel like an adventure.
Bold, bespoke structures that give children the freedom to climb, explore, imagine, take risks and make the space their own.
We build for playworkers and organisations who believe children should be trusted with real challenge, and who need structures robust enough for that to happen every single day.
Not everything needs to tell a child what to do.
The best adventure playgrounds leave room for children to decide. A platform does not have to be a platform. It can become a fort, stage, lookout, shop, spaceship or somewhere to sit with friends.
Got Children First designs environments that support open-ended play rather than a fixed sequence of activities. That means valuing:
- Children's independence
- Appropriate risk
- Creativity and invention
- Exploration
- Open-ended play
- Natural materials
- Robust construction
- Spaces that don't feel manufactured
Children can tell the difference between a place built for them and a place bought from a catalogue.
Our approach
Designed for real adventure play.
Challenge
Structures that encourage children to test their physical ability and judgement.
Height
Platforms, towers and climbing that create excitement and a different perspective.
Movement
Ropes, nets, bridges, climbing and balancing between levels.
Imagination
Structures with no single prescribed purpose.
Loose and creative play
Spaces that can change, be added to and evolve with the playworkers and children.
Social interaction
Places to gather, cooperate, invent games and spend time together.
What we build
What we build for adventure playgrounds.
Adventure sites need height, routes and room for children to decide. Most schemes grow from a few strong moves across the site, connected so children can travel without touching the ground.
Rope networks
Bridges, nets and climbing elements that allow multiple routes through a structure.
Dens & platforms
Spaces children can reinterpret as forts, hideouts, stages, meeting places or imaginary worlds.
Open-ended challenge
Structures that do not dictate a single route or activity and leave room for children to make decisions.
How we design
Sixteen ways to play. One environment.
The methodology supports open-ended environments where children decide how they use the space. Rather than designing around a list of equipment, we consider the range of play behaviours a site can encourage.
It is also the fastest way to see the gaps: a site heavy on physical play but with nowhere to hide, make, or simply watch.
- Risky and deep play
- Locomotor play
- Imaginative and fantasy play
- Social and communication play
- Creative and mastery play
- Exploratory play
- Rough and tumble
- Recuperative play
Safety, durability & practicalities
Robust enough for how it will really be used.
Adventure sites take more punishment than any other kind of playground. We build accordingly.
- 01Appropriate challenge, judged with your playwork team
- 02Open-ended play rather than a single prescribed route
- 03Robust construction: timber, rope and fixings for constant use
- 04Height, surfacing and fall zones worked through together
- 05Structures that can evolve, be repaired and added to
- 06Children's independence and risk-benefit thinking
- 07An adventure-play philosophy, not a catalogue specification
Relevant projects
Adventure playgrounds we've built.
Completed project
Treehouse & Rope Adventure
London · Adventure Playground
Timber towers, rope crossings, climbing nets and imaginative play spaces built for an open-access adventure playground where children choose their own level of challenge.
Timber tower • Cargo nets • High-level walkway
Completed project
Community Adventure Play Area
London · Public Play Space
A robust rope and timber adventure structure for a well-used public site, with high-level crossings and multiple climbing routes for older children.
Rope crossings • Multi-level platforms • Nets
How a project works
How an adventure play project works.
- 01
Talk
Tell us about the site, the children, the budget and what the space needs to achieve.
- 02
Explore
We visit the site, understand the environment and identify the opportunities.
- 03
Design
We develop a bespoke concept around the children, setting and intended play experiences.
- 04
Build
Our team brings the design to life using carefully selected materials and skilled construction.
- 05
Play
The structure is inspected, handed over and ready for children to make it their own.
FAQ
Questions we're often asked.
How do you handle risk?
We take a risk-benefit approach: challenge is designed in deliberately, hazards children cannot see or judge are designed out.
Can we add to the structure later?
Yes. We design so that platforms, routes and features can be extended over time.
Can playworkers and children help build?
On many sites, yes. We can leave room for site-built additions and loose parts alongside the structural work.
How high can you build?
Height is set by the site, the age range and the surfacing, and we work through that with you at design stage.
Let's build somewhere children can make their own.
Tell us about the site, your playwork approach and what you want children to be able to do there.