Logan Gardens Water Park

Project Brief and Collaboration Scope 

Spread over several hectares of landscaped parklands in Logan Central, Logan Gardens is a green oasis amid an otherwise bustling region. The site for the Logan Gardens waterpark is adjacent to the exciting adventure playground, with Council’s intent for the Water Park to add to the variety of passive and recreational play activities available to enhance the Gardens and its connection to surrounding community.

As a culturally diverse region, it was important to the design team to acknowledge all of the different cultures that have chosen to call the Logan area home; thus the idea of the “Flags of the World” was born.  A fusion of different flag designs and colours from around the world, these eye-catching designs have been integrated into the shade sail posts and misting totems, upgrading these elements from utilitarian to an integral part of the design itself.  The assimilation of both structural and functional uses delivers construction cost savings by incorporating water play, shade sail posts, footings and lighting into one repeatable element.

The ground plane for the waterplay is a tiered water experience, with exposure to both ground level and elevated water features.  A 50 – 75mm deep wading space provides a safe area for younger children to splash and explore. Bench seating and shade has been carefully designed to provide all-day comfort for both users and carers.

The choreographed fountains are one of the first installations of its kind in Australia, with multiple light and fountain shows developed to add exciting theatrical elements to the space.  At night, this stunning display lights up to complement the “Flags of the World” theme, providing a central community hub for events and social activation late into the night.

To cater to users of all ages and abilities, a 14 tonne custom raised concrete water table was designed and developed to give all users access to water interaction and an educational aquatic experience.

The park also features 10 custom totem poles, 20 ancillary jets and ground sprays, custom spray poles and a stainless steel siphon system discharge bucket.

The collaboration between the Urbis, Interface and Playscape Creations offered the Client a complete project design experience, with consideration given to the overall master-planning, waterplay fabrication and hydraulic design and best practice construction methodology right from the beginning.

Design and Engineering

Throughout an eight-week conceptual design phase, Playscape Creations worked collaboratively with our partners to provide Council with detailed design documentation for approval.

All custom play elements were designed and engineered by our in-house specialist team. Throughout the design, materials such as 316 stainless steel have been utilised for all structural features which will ensure longevity and low maintenance costs for the asset owner.

Construction 

Prior to the site’s civil works, the works zone was surveyed and set out through the use of GPS Topcon. Due to poor ground conditions the site required bored piers.

Throughout the early construction phases, all custom structural elements were fabricated off-site. Installation of each structural elements such as the custom totems and discharge bucket were installed by our in-house team which required significant works at heights and multiple crane lifts.

Playscape Creations was responsible for all structural concrete pours, which required pre-pour pressure testing and extensive engineering, inspection and quality assurance documentation.

Also extensive plumbing and electrical fit-offs which was completed by third-party subcontractors. The site’s surface underwent a number of waterproofing applications and was finished with decorative non-slip Tuff Coat paint.

The site’s plant room is  equipped with the latest technology and produces 1,400L of water per minute. The water quality is effectively manage through four sand filter and UV systems. Additional filtration systems include three underground water tanks (2×22,000L, 1 x 10,000L) which required our team to work within confined spaces during the installation phase.

Project Outcomes

Construction of the water park was completed in December 2019, with final landscaping completed in January 2020.  The waterpark grand opening occurred over the Australia Day long weekend and the park continues to receive great community feedback. Patronage on the opening weekend was more than double than expected; but all park systems handled the additional bather load without incident.

Playscape Creations’ project completion marketing saw the Logan Gardens project go viral, with one organic Facebook post reaching more than 94,000 people and gathering important positive community feedback for the clients.