1.00 PDH, LA CES/HSW
The Explore the Floor sessions at the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture offer attendees the opportunity to learn about new and improved techniques and how these improvements and services can help to create successful design projects. This guided walk on the EXPO floor will include the exhibitors: ANP Lighting, Goric Playgrounds, and Greenfields Outdoor Fitness.
ANP Lighting
Learn some of the basics of LED outdoor lighting. See examples of how LED color temperature changes the look of your surroundings. Get a basic understanding of lumen output of LED sources and how pole height affects the spacing of fixtures and light on the ground. See demonstrations of glare control and learn the basics of backlight, uplight, and glare, along with a quick reference handout.
Goric Playgrounds
Knowingly or not, adults often signal to children how to play (“Go up those stairs, cross that bridge, down that slide”). Playground equipment often echoes these same instructions. This type of directed play inhibits a child’s quest for independence, an instrumental part of growing up. That is why Goric promotes equipment that encourages children to “figure things out” on their own. We believe the more children test themselves, the more they think about cause and effect, the better the play experience, and the more their minds and bodies will grow.
In contrast to open ended play, sports and games promote other types of physical skills and critical thinking, including fairness, good sportsmanship and problem solving. In this brief presentation, we will explore both abstract play and games (non-electronic) in public parks and spaces.
Greenfields Outdoor Fitness
Outdoor Gyms: Designing for Maximum Inclusion
The evolution of outdoor fitness equipment from simple pull-up bars along trails into customizable, multigenerational, and highly inclusive community exercise centers has great potential to positively impact community health outcomes. Some of the demographics that stand to benefit the most from these gyms are seniors and users in wheelchairs, who face steeper challenges than other groups in their efforts to maintain healthy lifestyles. To effectively serve these demographics, key design principles must be followed. Some principles are mandatory and required by the ADA; others are not so obvious but play a large role in making a fitness area not just accessible but truly inclusive. Covering gym location, clearance requirements, unit selection and orientation, surfacing, and more, this session will explore ways to ensure that fitness areas are utilized to the greatest extent by those who need them most.