Brentwood Destination Park has finally opened after months of construction, turning what was once a quarry into a child’s — and parents’ — dreamland.
The 2.5-acre playscape includes ziplines, basket-hammocks, rock-climbing walls and multilevel play structures to accommodate all ages and abilities. SWT Design founding partner and landscape architect Ted Spaid told St. Louis on the Air that 30 years of work since his firm’s founding gave him and his team special insight into designing something special for the St. Louis region.
“What was really interesting to me was creating a destination that weaves in ecology [and] these different types of play activities and be part of the Deer Creek watershed,” Spaid said.
Along with making a playground or park fun is making it safe. Gone are the days of slides that burn in the summer and asphalt that assaults the knees — playgrounds make room for adventure, education and exploration that children across the age and ability spectrum can enjoy. Spaid said it’s a shift in design practices that's come in the past five years.
“I think the shift has been in the public’s demand for outdoor play experiences as our communities grow [and] become denser, the need for outdoor recreation, safe recreation, inclusive recreation continues to grow,” he said. “People are learning as they go, and as designers like me start to show these new ideas there’ll be neighbors [asking], ‘Why can’t we have that?’ Building up over time … helps define the community’s image as well.”
In addition to Brentwood Park, Spaid and SWT Design are behind St. Louis' new basketball courts in Forest Park, which is another large-scale project that took community input to heart. “[Community engagement] is paramount to all projects. It’s about community acceptance and also really taking on their ideas,” Spaid said.
For more on Ted Spaid’s latest projects, including when park patrons can expect to hoop in Forest Park and how opening days can be both stressful and fun, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
