Vortex Aquatic Structures, the industry leader in aquatic playground and urban landscape solutions, has installed a Splashpad® at the Conestoga Recreation and Aquatic Center in South Beaverton, OR, part of the Tualatin Hills Recreation and Park District.
Related: Vortex Aquatic Structures Profile/ Vortex Splashpad® in Georgetown Township, Jenison, MI/ Vortex Rooftop Splashpad® at Tampines 1 Mall in Singapore
The $6.5 million renovation was completed in July 2012 and includes a 4,500 sq ft Vortex Splashpad®, built in partnership with Ross Recreation.
The Splashpad®, which was championed by resident and is the first within the THRPD boundaries, features around 30 spray features and has Vortex’s three bay age-based designs to appeal to families, toddlers and teens:
- Family Bay is the main area and is appropriate for all age groups. One of the many play features of the area are the interactive Tricky Bells, operated by turning the post and lining up the three bells with the fill spouts. With unique Seeflow™ translucent polymer, children can watch the bells fill and wait for the big splash!
- The Toddler Bay, specially created specifically for younger children, includes the Watergarden Turtle and Bug to encourage sensorial discovery experiences.
- The Teen Bay has space and opportunities to challenge the most energetic members of the family, with high-energy features like loop cannons and Plux Perispray which allows Splashpadders to direct a spray from above towards the kids playing with the cannons!
To make the Splashpad® an interactive experience for kids, the Splashpad® spray sequence is only activated when a child presses one of the floor mounted foot activators. The spray sequence last for 4 minutes, with various ground sprays, cannons and dumping bells in a pre-determined order.
A critical factor in the planning of the Splashpad® was the selection of the water management. The project team chose a re-circulating Water Quality Management System (WMS) with UV disinfection to remove any contaminants from the water and ensure that the water keeps flowing.
At an open day on August 22nd, Park Planner and Project Manager Peter Foster commented on the success of the Splashpad®: "there was no concrete…..you couldn't see the concrete for all the kids out on the Splashpad."