Holland Park Playground: An inclusive play landscape blending Japanese garden principles with sustainable water management

Holland Park Playground is situated within Kensington and Chelsea’s largest park and is designed to harmonise with the surrounding mature woodland. Drawing inspiration from Japanese garden theory, specifically the principles of Dry Mountain Water and Borrowing-View, the design borrows the character of the nearby woodlands and creatively reinterprets the existing topography to maximise play value. The site’s steep slopes were carefully sculpted into terraces, each zoned with rain gardens and organised around a newly formed play valley tailored for younger children. This approach not only enhances the natural setting but also addresses Holland Park’s flood risk by integrating sustainable drainage into the play landscape. Bespoke play structures, seating, bridges, and boardwalks are designed for durability and ease of maintenance, ensuring the park remains a vibrant destination across seasons and weather conditions. The entire playground is crafted to support play for all ages and abilities, creating an engaging environment that transforms when rainwater animates the water channels and wetlands.

The play experience is rich and varied, anchored by iconic features such as the Hill-coaster - a sprawling climbing structure that snakes around an existing tree, accommodating large groups of children in energetic play. The Fishermen’s Towers, including a dome constructed from site-won earth, provide a dramatic entrance to the play valley and act as lookout points across the site. Younger children are invited to explore textured banks and play areas offering sand, water, and motor skills activities, all closely connected to spaces where parents can relax. A carefully engineered network of planted swales and granite channels directs rainwater through the park, feeding a newly created wetland landscape that visitors experience along a winding boardwalk. By seamlessly integrating play and ecology, Holland Park Playground exemplifies a design that is both sustainable and deeply connected to its cultural and natural context.