Soft Play Structures

Commonly called 'Jungle Gyms' or 'Play Cages', our high quality Soft Play Structures are built with steel frames and wrapped in soft foam and PVC and generally cater for children of the ages of around 5 years old (and above).

The steel framework that we use features a 1.2m x 1.2m grid system, which we recommend as the best method to maximise the play capacity and ensures we can make imaginative use of the building space - which is important to us. We also design our tiers to a height of 2m (wherever possible), we do this as it allow adults to enter the Soft Play Structures to aid in supervision, in case of emergencies and for cleaning. Soft Play Structures are usually between 2 – 5 tiers (depending on available height) and would include a multitude of different play features, routes, ways up and down and they are crammed with interactivity! At Soft Brick, we have found that the main attraction is generally the classic slide - it's what the children look for first! Our designs are created to maximise the WOW factor and visibility of these particular features. As with all our products, they are designed to focus on the needs of the child and the benefits to you as our customer - nobody puts more play value into their product range than us!

Soft Play Structures often include other play zones such as Sports Courts, Battlezone Arenas, Trampolines and Car Track/Role Play Areas.

We design our play systems to be flexible and adaptable – this future proofing means you can be assured that you have every option available when the time comes for you to introduce new product.

The choice of play activities within the play area are chosen to give as wide a degree of challenge as possible, with each successive tier getting a little more challenging - so the most challenging features are at the very top! Where play activities are especially challenging, we offer alternative routes of a less challenging nature to ensure that all children can be included irrespective of their age, size or ability.

The Soft Brick Company was an original founding member of the Association of Play Industries (API) and we are proud to say our products and designs still comply with the guidelines set out by:

RoSPA (Safety)
API (Play)
EN71 (Non-Toxicity)
BSAIF (Sports)
BS EN 1176 (Playground Equipment) - where relevant
BS EN 1177 (Impact Absorbency of Playground Surfacing) – where relevant

Our emphasis on safety features, quality of materials and commitment to detail ensure that we supply our customers with the best standard of specification and quality of build available in the UK. Our play areas are designed and manufactured to minimise risk, whilst maximising play value. We are keen to promote a safe environment for children to play and believe there is nothing as important as their safety.

soft brick accreditations

We believe that the quality and value within your play area is essential to its success!

Our systems use unique engineering and manufacturing techniques to ensure the best quality available. We use the highest material specification available and use appliqué theming to maximise the lifespan of the products in your play area.

Some examples:

All metal elements within the framework including roof bars are comprehensively padded and vinyl wrapped.
Throughout the main play areas, entrances and exits have chamfered floor padding and are colour differentiated to avoid trip hazards.
All safety netting is 3mm and flame retardant.
The extensive use of hard wearing, heavy duty, thick floor padding as recommended by the RoSPA/ILAM Codes of Practise.
The design provides space for staff access to observe the play and importantly to properly clean the equipment and play area in general.

Design - The 9 Play Types

Within all our designs we aim to develop a number of areas of particular appeal. This approach highlights our educational approach to play! All of our structure based products can be categorised into these categories:

		Motor Skills Gross & Loco motor skills can be co-ordinated to suit the level of ability depending on age range.	Examples: Ball Puzzle / Dizzy Disc / Assault Course features

		Decision Making Multiple choice routes through the play system or decision based challenges or puzzles.	Examples: Choice of routes through the play area & their level of difficulty

		Co-operation & Teamwork Promoting co-operative play through joint activity products - i.e. taking turns, helping each other & resetting products.	Examples: Aerial Glide / Dizzy Disc / Slides / Assault Course features

		Puzzle Solving Encouraging lateral thinking using puzzles and riddles in conjunction with each other.	Examples: Game Tarps / Treasure Hunts / Talk Tubes

		Spatial Awareness Enhancing the experience of spatial awareness through illusion - i.e. reflections, light / sound & spinning / rotation.	Examples: Mirrors / Roller & Spinning features / Dark & Light / Illusions

		Sensory Stimulation Stimulating the senses using sound, light, touch & movement.	Examples: Lighting Panels / Lightning Panels / Piano / LED Panels

		Exploration & Discovery Stimulating curiosity & exploration through a 3-dimensional maze - ways up, down, across & underneath.	Examples: Log Ramps / Step Climbs / Crawl Tubes / Slides / Aerial Glides

		Imagination & Theming Triggering the imagination & drama through play.	Examples: Role Play Areas / Exterior theming / Themed Play products

		WOW Features! Extra special features that introduce the WOW reaction & high levels of excitement!	Examples: Ball Showers / Ball Cannons / Geysir /...& many more!

Specification

We feel that excellent materials and specification should not be considered as a mere selling point, they are a necessity! We measure the life span of our products not in years but in footfall - and with millions using our products every week, we can do so more accurately than our competition.

The illustration above shows a snapshot of our standard safety specification:

Steel - Pre fabricated 50mm box section that is specifically designed and engineered for each soft play structure build. Each steel member has a capacity of 2.3knM - almost double the required rating!
Padding - High quality, impact absorbing, 13mm closed cell Acco tube. This is non-toxic, CFC free & non-flammable. We also pad all exposed steelwork!
Netting - 50mm, 3mm Nylon netting in a knotless construction and flame retardant to BS5867. All twining of netting has a half hitch knot at least every 6 squares.
PVC Column Wrap - Fire retardant PVC Column Wrap around covering. We pad and wrap all exposed steel!
Foam - 60mm, 6lb recon foam meets all the Critical Fall Height (CFH) requirements for indoor play. The foam also complies with Fire Regulations 1989 & BSEN 1177.
Under Deck Padding - Impact absorbing 25mm thick foam. RoSPA guidelines recommend every deck under 1200mm is padded. Soft Brick pads every deck under 1500mm!
Ply Base - High grade 18mm thickness (6mm for floor pads) WBP bonded, Brazilian Marine ply wood is used to create our decks. This wood is non-toxic and surrounded by fire retardant materials.
PVC Covering - Tough and flexible Polyamide fabric coated with a flame retardant PVC formulation conforming to BSEN 71 (parts 2 & 3) and to BS5438 (test 2A). The PVC is 610gsm in weight and is available in the colours outlined in our Colour Swatch.
Decks - Each deck is specifically manufactured to include steel cut outs and foam overlaps to prevent any contact with the ply wood. Pads are individually made for easy maintenance.

So now you know a little more about our approach to designing the best play areas in the industry. Our design and engineering teams are ready to make your ideas and dreams for your own indoor play area a reality! Why not have a look at our simple 3-step business start up guide here or get in touch with our sales team and we'll talk you through it!