When a teacher at the Lexden Springs Residential School got in touch with us in search of a solution to the school’s bland and uninspiring outside space, we were presented with a number of different challenges both in terms of the project timeline and the different ways in which the space could and should be best presented.
Opting for artificial grass in place of the dry and mud-churned grass patches, our team worked efficiently to present the school with a play area which looks good and is safe for the children to enjoy at playtime – benefitting from the durability and low maintenance needs of artificial grass, with its year-round green aesthetic.
Here’s how we did it.
The Brief
The initial brief that we received from the Lexden Springs School was to transform the outside space that is used as the play area for pupils, from a bland and uninteresting section of concrete complete with trip hazards and mud-churned flower beds, into something presentable all year round, which optimises safety, and which is easy to maintain and keep clean.
The timeline for this project was tight from the off, with the school ideally needing the work to be completed within the school holidays to minimise disruption to the pupils’ routine.
What we did
Before arrival on site, we conducted a site visit which enabled us to go away and consider the best way to use the available space and layout to present something clean, safe, and durable for the school. Once onsite, we scraped away the top layer of all the mud-churned grass across the existing flower beds and laid the foundations required for the installation of artificial grass. We cut and adapted the strips of artificial grass to protect existing trees, ensuring that the result was clean and refined but without impacting the future growth of these trees.
By the time we left the site, the school’s playground was broken up with areas of concrete and artificial grass, brightening up the space and injecting a new lease of life into the entire outdoor area.
The Result
Not only did we manage to complete the project within the specified timeline, but we only required a total of three working days on site as opposed to the projected week.
The feedback which we received from our main contact at the school was overwhelmingly positive, citing not only the transformation that the new outside space had on the school but also the benefits that having access to such a safe and clean environment would have on pupils.
“You and your chaps are fantastic I was saying to your brother Liam you all have made me look good the head was so impressed on how speedy and professional you all are excellent. I would recommend you to anyone.”
