Play by Design
Company Profile –2024
4. Company Profile: Key Staff / Capabilities / References / Warranties
Table of Contents
7. Innovation: Materials / Design / Components
10. Beyond ADA Accessibility
15.
Architecture by Design
17. History by Design
20. The Magic Within…
21. “Design Day”
24. References / Portfolio Highlights
40. Contact Us
Dennis Wille ADA Specialist Senior Designer 28 years experience 400+ Design Days (20 Years at Leathers & Associates )
Lee Archin Play By Design Co-Founder Designer, Project Manager, Construction Consultant 32 Years Experience (18 years at Leathers & Associates)
Kristi Franklin Operations Manager 15 years experience
Lisa DeShano Senior Designer/CAD Project Manager 19 years experience 50+ Design Days (5 years at Leathers and Associates)
Dave Iannello Play By Design Co-Founder Senior Designer 35 Years Experience (26 years at Leathers & Associates)
Mary Archin Marketing & Development Project Management
25 years experience
Barry Segal Construction Consultant Project Manager 45 years experience 200+Design Days (30 years at Leathers & Associates)
Nate Bishop Construction Consultant Former landscaper
Laura Dolch Accounting / HR
15 years experience
25 years experience
Company Capabilities
Play By Design is a fully insured, Limited Liability Company (LLC) and with nationally recognized Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPSI). We are knowledgeable of ASTM, ADA and CPSI guidelines and laws as they apply to playgrounds. In addition to making the safety of our structures a priority, our professional team offers significant expertise in all-abilities design, community build, hybrid community build, and overall project management. • Project Management: You will be assigned and Project Manager with considerable design experience that best suits your community. • Organization: We will help you secure and develop your playground steering committee. • Communication: Our team is available after hours, on weekends and even in person if that’s what the collective team needs. • Build expertise: Our construction consultants are prepared to empower the volunteers to completion. • Flexibility: In three decades, we have adapted and upgraded as our world does. Please refer to our build methods below. • A Record of Accomplishment: We are dedicated to giving each client the best of what we can to provide excellent service, innovative design and
safety for all. You can expect our team to walk you through each step of our process to reach your goals and milestones. After the build, you can rely
on us to help you with anything that should arise!
Warranties
At Play By Design, we provide top notch customer service. We will be your constant source of support and guidance during the
design, planning, and playground build. We will also be your one and only call for maintenance and warranties for your
playground structure and equipment post-build. Our maintenance department will work directly with the manufacturers for all
your replacement and maintenance requests. No need to wait on hold with multiple suppliers, Play By Design does all the leg
work for you.
All manufactured equipment and our building materials come with a warranty. These warranties are available for your review
upon request.
Play By Design provides full service and support for the life span of your playground structure.
Innovation: Materials
Recycled Plastic Timber
Building materials and playground components have gone though a series of major advances since the original community playgrounds were built. We take our position of creative leadership and quality control seriously and align with vendors that reflect our values for innovation, quality, reliability, affordability and longevity. Gone are the days of sanding, sealing and staining wooden playgrounds. Say goodbye to splinters and rotting wood! Our playgrounds today are built with recycled plastic timber that is rated for sea water and extreme weather . From Hawaii to Alaska, we have had continuous success utilizing this product in our playgrounds. Additional benefits are as follows:
• The look and feel of wood without the unwanted maintenance • Ecologically sound • Sturdy structural plastic posts in various shapes and sizes • Comes in a variety of colors • Has a warranty of 25 years • Textured high-density polyethylene is strong and UV stabilized • Stain and graffiti resistant • Will not splinter or crack
Innovation: Components We have spent many years cultivating relationships with our playground component vendors based on quality, affordability, innovation and warranties. Our team actively seeks out the latest in innovation and accessibility and that can bring us overseas as well. On the following pages, please enjoy the visual highlights of some of the newer and most popular components that we incorporate into our designs.
Music!
Beyond ADA: Accessibility
Community build, to us, means far more than playground design, we view it as an opportunity to include the entire community in a process that unites,
educates and empowers its members from start to finished product. Our designers are dedicated to all abilities play. We work with therapists, parents
and teachers to ensure that the needs of all children are met and that often brings us to far exceed current ADA guidelines. We believe that inclusivity is
not limited to the children that play on the playground, but also includes the adult caregivers that are with them. In the following pages, we provide an
example ”ADA Narrative”, one that we would submit to accompany your redesign.
In the past 20 years, we have seen considerable upgrades the quality and innovation of playground components especially in the area of ADA
equipment. We can now offer our communities affordable equipment from both made in the USA and from abroad. Since opening, Play By Design has
been dedicated to exceeding the accessibility guidelines in our designs while remaining within budget . Double wide ramping is something that we
have been incorporating for almost a decade and it allows two wheelchairs to pass freely. Below is a list of some highlighted equipment, but we are
always on the look-out for new equipment and ideas.
ADA Design: Components
Accessible equipment can often come with a higher price tag. We can work with each budget to maximize accessibility.
The inclusive Merry-Go-Round gives wheelchair bound children the opportunity to independently approach and use together with their friends and siblings.
The Liberty Swing allows for wheelchair bound children to experience the thrill of swinging without needing to transfer from their chair.
Stainless steel tube slides that are safe for children with Cochlear implants
The Team Swing allows multiple users of all abilities to swing together.
Double Wide Ramping throughout, means that there is space for two wheelchairs to pass side by side or for a double stroller to pass freely.
Parallel play – the Hi-Lo Monkey Bars and Hi-Lo rings , allow wheelchair bound children and their peers to play together side-by-side.
Adaptive Swings and harness in both the 2-5 and 5-12 models.
A Central Seating Area along with the increased sight lines
All-Abilities Play: Sample Design & Narrative
ADA Design: development
Design for Sensory input includes visual decking that
change direction to aid in depth perception, colorful
rainbow stairs, different textures in panels and
materials, small houses for children with autism to
have a quiet space and a musical area. Other
ideas are ADA play panels, zip lines, a berm and a
sensory garden spiral of varying herbs.
Architecture by Design
Lee, Dave and the entire design team put in considerable effort to build playground components that will not only stand the test of time, but that will be also be an architectural showpiece that your community can be proud of. Quite often this piece will be directly from a child’s imagination such as a giant robot playhouse or an elephant slide, but it can also be an historical element too.
History by Design
Featured Playground:
OurSpace @ RecPark -Binghamton, NY
History by Design
Featured Playground:
Kenosha Dream Playground
Kenosha, WI
History by Design
Featured Playground:
Sherley Park Playground
Anna, TX
Awarded best playground under 2 million in the state of Texas.
Honored for its historical design.
The Magic Within _ _ _
We are mindful of the flow of play within the
playground structure and intentionally place "Easter
Eggs" to facilitate exploration. This can include play
panels, internal nets, bridges, ladders, multi-colored
pathways, and even shadows from a starry roof cut-
out. With attention to architecture and alignment, we
can also create a geometric kaleidoscope visible to
a child moving through tunnels and up ladders
allowing for a multi-dimensional, and multi-sensory
experience.
Children are interviewed and asked to share their dream playground ideas. Our designer then uses these ideas to design the playground that day. In the evening, there is a public unveiling of the design to the parents, children, and other members of the community. The Design Day Process can be modified to meet goals for each community.
DESIGN DAY
Press Play: Design Day Reimagined
Design Day – Online
or in person
DREAM PLAYGROUND
IDEAS THAT COME TO LIFE!
Portfolio
As a custom design firm, we have many designs to pull from.
The following
playground examples were chosen to represent the capabilities of our team. You’ll
find examples with different sizes, budgets, locations and styles.
Some of the
playgrounds are built with our CPSI certified contract labor team, some are pre-built
in our facilities and some are built with community volunteers under our guidance.
Our playground rebuilds were redesigned where needed to improve sight lines and
overall ”flow” of play. Many of them exceed safety and ADA guidelines and can be
expected to outlive their lifespan.
If you would like to see more playground examples, or get contact information for
these communities, please let us know!
Shirley Heritage Park Playground
Anna, TX
• 2019 Contractor Build • Budget: $250K
• Size: 5,000 sq ft
• 2-12 Age Group
• Surfacing: EWF
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
Replica of the historic water tower and historic train
Won “ Best Playground Under 2 Million ” by the Texas Parks Dept.
Eberwhite Elementary School
Ann Arbor, Ml
• 2021 & 2022 Community Build
• Budget: $350 & $250
• Size: 12,000 sq ft
• Surfacing: EWF
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
Eberwhite Elementary School had two old
wooden structures from 1990 that they wanted
to rebuild with their school community. The
school started with a design day where they
had the upper level grades write something
special about their experience on the
playground, while the younger kids drew out
their ideas.
One little girl requested a
playhouse on a hill with a slide and garden!
During the second playground build, the
children who had graduated from ES came back
to help build the second one. A very special
project indeed!
Kids Castle Pell City, AL
• 2022 Hybrid Community Build • Budget: $400K
• Size: 12,000 sq ft
• Surfacing: EWF / PIP
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
Children’s Rotary Playground is located on the
Florida Keys and was sadly destroyed by a
hurricane. We were contracted to rebuild with
recycled plastic timber, a product that would not
be affected by the salty sea air. The playground
features several components that were rebuilt to
match the original, including a shark and train. In
2023, we were contracted again to rebuild
another playground on Sombrero Beach, and we’ll
be headed back for a third beach playground
rebuild later this year.
Dream Playground Port Angeles, WA
• 2021 Community Build • Budget: $500K
• Size: 12,000 sq ft
• Surfacing: Turf
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
The Award-winning all-abilities Dream Playground
replaced an aging wooden structure and was
rebuilt in 2021, but sadly burned down due to
arson a few months ago. Watching their hard
work go up in flames was heartbreaking, but the
community is determined to rebuild and has rallied
enough support to get that done in May. Among
the many playground components, a few highlights
are the carved wood sculptures and a dragon-
themed slide! We look forward to working with
Steve and his core team once again.
Kids Castle Pell City, AL
• 2022 Hybrid Community Build • Budget: $500K
• Size: 12,000 sq ft
• Surfacing: EWF / PIP
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
Kids Kastle was originally community-built in 2001
and served as their central playground until 2022
when our team rebuilt it. For this project, we
utilized community feedback and worked with Pell
City to ensure that all the criteria were met. Our
team prebuilt the majority of the playground in
our facilities so that the park would be completed
and open in time for their community festival. The
playground features EWF with PIP pathways and
has several ADA components.
Wooden Park Winters, CA
• 2017 Community Build • Budget: $650K
• Size: 16,000 sq ft
• Surfacing:
Engineered Wood Fiber
• Material:
Pressure Treated Lumber
Literacy and play unite to inspire the youth in Winters.
Piaget, Lev Vygotsky and Maria Montessori have all studied the dynamic relationship between literacy development and play. These theorists suggest that when children interact with the world around them through play, they are more likely to remember first-hand experiences as opposed to when they are just told about an experience. It is the use of their research that guides us to create meaningful play experiences for our children throughout their day. These experiences in turn provide effective yet subtle ways to “teach” early literacy.
The Treehouse Lititz, PA
• 2020 Community Build • Budget: $815K
• Size: 17,630 sq ft
• Surfacing: Turf / Brick Pavers
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
The Treehouse at Lititz was built with an
abundance of caution due to COVID-19. The
community opted to keep with the plan of a full
volunteer community build with much success as
over 550 people helped build this structure
over the course of 9 days! Located at the
church of Betheren, this dedicated community
raised funds for an all-inclusive structure to
meet the needs and wants of the kids and their
families in Lancaster County.
Castle Playground Carlisle, MA
• 2021 Community Build • Budget: $800K
• Size: 28,000 sq ft
• Surfacing: CorkeenPathways / EWF
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
Castle Playground was built to replace an aging
wooden structure at an elementary school! This
fully inclusive playground was designed to fit
under a canopy forest and is, today, the largest
playground that we have rebuilt with volunteers. It
features a mix of turf, engineered wood fiber, and
a new type of surfacing made from cork! The local
artistry, huge accessible treehouse, and sensory
landscaping underline the amazing community
involvement. We returned a year later to install an
outdoor classroom.
Annie’s Playground Fallston, MD
• 2022 Contractor Build • Budget: $1m
• Size: 16,000 sq ft
• Surfacing: Poured in Place Rubber
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
In 2022 / 2023,
our design team and
construction crew designed and rebuilt the old
wooden playground in two phases.
The
playground exceeds accessibility, features a
variety of modern play components, while
maintaining the ”magic” of the original structure.
Sunshine Playground
Jacksonville Beach, Fl
• 2022 Contractor Build • Budget: $1.6m
• Size: 18,000 sq ft
• Surfacing: Turf
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
• Shaded swings and Sail Shades
PBD was awarded the contract to rebuild
Sunshine Playground after a highly competitive
bid process. The City of Jacksonville Beach, FL
opted for our turnkey services and the
playground was pre-built in both of our
manufacturing facilities and assembled on-site.
The design exceeds ADA accessibility guidelines
and honors the city's history. It features
playground components and park site amenities
from multiple vendors.
This destination
playground opened in the summer of 2022.
Lyn Stacie Getz Playground Bel Air, MD
• 2022 Contractor Build • Budget: $2m
• Size: 30,000 sq ft
• Surfacing: Poured in Place Rubber
• Material: Recycled Plastic / Steel
This playground was built as a memorial to Lyn
Stacie Getz, a young lady who left her mark on
the Bel Air Community. The foundation created in
her name works to support children and their
health. Originally built in early 2000, we rebuilt
this playground turnkey in 2 phases. It is the
largest playground that we have contract built to
date and offers not only accessible play to the
children in the community but to their adult
caregivers as well. There are several references to
the local history and shops.
Project Video Highlights Community Build
Ann Arbor, MI
Ojai, CA
King, NC
Contact us!
Contact Lee:
(607) 351-5160
lee@PBDPlaygrounds.com
Contact Mary:
(607) 280-2113
mary@pbdplaygrounds.com
www.PBDplaygrounds.com
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