Wood Wharf Play Spaces: Playful landscape interventions across a new urban district
Wood Wharf is a major new mixed-use neighbourhood adjacent to Canary Wharf, where public realm and open spaces have been designed to promote inclusive, imaginative and high-quality urban living. Root And Erect was commissioned to deliver a series of unique play interventions across the development, each responding to site-specific conditions, local narratives and the needs of a growing residential population. One of these, the Marvellous Maze in South Dock Park, creates a nature-rich and multi-sensory environment for under-5s.
Set within a compact footprint, a low hedge maze defines a series of play pockets, each integrating tactile materials, sensory elements and physical challenges such as seesaws, sound tubes and convex mirrors. The experience is immersive and non-linear, designed to encourage curiosity, independence and cooperative interaction. The abstracted layout offers surprise and discovery at every turn, with elevated crossings and hidden shortcuts allowing the space to evolve with each use. Despite its modest scale, the maze establishes a strong sense of place and intimacy, embedding early years play into the heart of a dense urban landscape.
Another nearby intervention is rooted in the unexpected ecological history of the River Thames, drawing inspiration from whales - once frequent subjects of maritime folklore and occasionally sighted in the river today. A sculptural timber whale rests beside a textured landscape of soft mounds, designed for climbing, sliding, and social gathering. A hand-pumped spout animates the structure with water play, while adjacent sand, decking and seating elements support a wide range of ages and activities. Mosaic steps, baleen-like railings and a raised viewing deck introduce additional moments of interaction and storytelling, tying the narrative back to the surrounding docklands. These layers of symbolic and physical play support inclusive, open-ended engagement, encouraging sensory exploration and collective experience. Both interventions are grounded in the larger ambition of Wood Wharf’s public realm strategy - to embed play within the fabric of everyday urban life as a vital, imaginative and universally accessible component of the city.
