Linwood Park Spray Ground
Wichita, Kan.
Architect/Landscape Architect: Landworks Studio
Aquatic Designer/Consultant: Waters Edge Aquatic Design
Builder: Dondlinger Construction
Linwood Park Spray Ground Wichita, Kan.
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2022 Aquatics International Dream Designs
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The Linwood Park Spray Ground is part of a citywide effort under which Wichita is converting a number of existing pools throughout the city into spray parks, each unique to reflect the neighborhood’s character. This way, local citizens can travel from one to the other and remain engaged.
This particular neighborhood, near a waterway, at one time housed a large mill. To honor that, the design team transformed an old, poorly attended pool into a spray park that adopts a river motif with a weathered-looking water wheel as the central feature. The wheel was fabricated of glass-fiber-reinforced concrete, a material often used to fashion artificial rock. It is outfitted with a set of sprays that converge in the middle, representing the wheel’s spokes.
A blue deck material is used to represent the winding river, with water features placed at the two ends. Logs provide a path across the “water” and look like they’re headed for the mill. Toward the middle of the river, turf-covered landforms on either side create the feeling of a valley. The mounds of grass are dotted with brightly colored spheres to represent the wildflowers that cover the rolling hills nearby. They also provide play features for the children to climb.
Natural limestone blocks around the edge provide seating for supervising adults and walkers taking a break. The team used landscape beds where they could, focusing on more resilient and hardy plants that require little upkeep.
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Filtration/pumps: Pentair
