From worn-out artificial turf field to new play fun

Sports and play are increasingly coming together within one sports environment. At Haarlem Mixed Hockey Club Saxenburg in Haarlem, this has been combined with a circular design of the new play area.

Commissioned by SRO Haarlem and in collaboration with GreenMatter, Green Engineers and De Wilde Infra- & Cultuurtechniek, W&H Play realised a play area with various circular play equipment. The play area consists of a balance beam, a spring seesaw, an elephant slide and a playhouse.

Recycled materials were deliberately chosen for the design. The play equipment is made from recycled plastic. The GreenMatter playhouse is made from recycled artificial turf from worn-out artificial turf fields. Material from old sports fields is also given a new application in the impact-absorbing tiles: rubber infill from worn-out artificial turf fields was used for this.

As a result, various material flows from decommissioned artificial turf fields come together again within the same sports accommodation. Materials that have lost their original function are thus reused as raw material for products with which children can play and move.

The project at Saxenburg shows how circularity can be concretely applied within the design of a sports park. By consciously choosing recycled and circular solutions, the Municipality of Haarlem and SRO Haarlem give materials a new purpose while at the same time creating an attractive place to play and move.

From sport to raw material. From raw material to play.