Tips for Developing a Splash Pad in a Community

The trend of community splash pads is quickly becoming a most popular neighborhood amenity for those who are looking to revitalize their green spaces. People are encouraged to enjoy these splash pads and use them to cool themselves. Family and social groups of all economic backgrounds are gathering in spray parks for fun, safety, and developmentally stimulating activities.

If you are planning to create one, we can help you plan a splash pad, waterpark, or aquatic facility for your community. For your convenience, we have compiled our team’s top objectives that you should consider to plan your aquatic play area. If you have been tasked with overseeing a project to install community splash pads, here are a few tips.

1. Check out other community splash pads

There may already be a splash pad installed within your organization or nearby, so you can learn a lot from those who have already done so and those who use them.

2. Choose Retrofit or New Installation

Splash pads can be retrofitted to existing facilities or installed into a brand new facility. It’s up to you. You can combine the two by retrofitting an existing installation and expanding it.

3. Keep in Mind Your Target audience

A range of visitors visits amusement parks to enjoy water activities and splash pads. Not all splash pads will serve all the visitors because one size does not fit all. Different age groups require different water splash pads structures to fulfill their satisfaction level. For the youngest users, gentle sprays, mists will do the needful but for the older demographic, high-volume sprays and dumping elements are required. Plan your splash pad to include water toys for at least three different age groups and activity levels of children.

Infants and toddlers–A brightly colored, gentle mist or stream water toy is preferred by younger children.

Aquatic Interactive Toys– All age groups enjoy playing water cannon duel together. Many children can enjoy waterpark equipment at the same time such as water tunnels, water cannons, and dumping buckets.

High-energy water toys– Older children have more energy and enjoy going fast. Climbing structures and water slides are perfect for this.

4. Key Aspects of Splash Pads

While planning and installing splash pads, one must take into consideration the key features of the water structures. Some high pressure water jets appeal to adults while other variants of it aimed to appeal to younger ones. Teenagers who are energetic and have high adrenaline factors are more likely to enjoy subjecting themselves to gallons of water dumped under pressure. While designing a splash pad, one must design different zones and areas for multi-generational visitors. This way you will get into competitive play. The different features may include ground-level trenches with operable water-flow gates, Disney characters who shoot water from above, and animated sculptures. Kids reroute the water flow by pressing certain valve caps. This will add up to their enjoyment level.

5. Surfacing

Splash pad surface is very critical to the safety of visitors. That is why brushed concrete is the most used splash pad surface. It helps in enhancing the safety and complete accessibility of the amenity. Over the years, many innovations are done in splash pad surfacing and better products are developed to withstand various factors that affect its surface, like high temperature from the sun, chlorinated water, and bacterias. Brushed surfaces are cost-effective and it’s non-slippery, but if the customer has it in the budget, the resilient surfacing is a better option.

Are you planning a community splash pad project?

Well, if you are planning to install a splash pad for your community, this guide will surely help you understand what is important to look for and what not to miss. For any assistance, you can work with us and we will guide you to the process. We have a highly skilled team of Vortex aquatic play experts who have experience in starting the process of planning, designing and installing your very own community splash pad and delivering it with success.