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Quality Service and Experience
Since 1974, I have designed and built play environments
throughout the United States. I handle everything from
site assessment, to evaluating the interests of your
community, to design, construction, and continuing maintenance.
Our designs exceed the safety requirements of
the Consumer Products Safety Commission and
the American Society for Testing and Materials. Martin
Environment Design, llc is fully insured as a playground
manufacturer.
A Safe Place to Be
Playgrounds are a family experience; it all begins
as a parent's choice. We have developed a complete
series of skill-level challenges through which a parent
can chose to guide their child. My designs
balance safety with challenging activity and they incorporate
more moving parts than standard play sets. I believe
that movement and action/reaction is an important part
of the developmental goals of play. Too many designs
have taken out physical challenge in the mistaken belief
that it provides safety. Safety is, however,
increased by a child's improved capability in many different
physical situations. There are statistics showing
a correlation between a rise in childhood accidents
where the child has less knowledge of how to climb,
hang on, and negotiate physical challenges. Playgrounds
in a community can, therefore, contribute to the overall
safety of children in that community. My designs
present a healthy range of challenging activities designed
for maximum safety. The placement of equipment
in the play environment is also important, as is good
seating, lighting, and open design to provide for effective
adult supervision. My design philosophy is backed up
by the fact that my playgrounds have one of the best
safety records in the field.
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Playground Safety Guidelines
The US Consumer Products Safety Commission
publishes guidelines for the safe design and
construction of play equipment and play areas (CLICK
HERE for the CPSC's playground safety checklist for
parents). Playground construction also falls under
the umbrella of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, which dictates equal access for the disabled.
The guidelines certainly do not intend to dictate design,
but rather guide safe design with information from the
safety studies which the Commission regularly performs.
If you have any questions about the guidelines or don't
know about the guidelines that govern your state, please
let us know. We will be more than happy to consult with
you on these important aspects of playground planning
and design.
Materials Specifications
Martin Environment Design makes use
of a broad variety of materials. Playground equipment
manufacturers offer a variety of molded and pre-manufactured
elements which we can incorporate into our customized
designs. With the invention of planking made
from recycled plastic (Trex), I have been able
to custom design durable structures in shapes that once
depended on wood products. We use only arsenic-free,
pressure-treated lumber for frames, which provides a
safe, natural feel . Combining Trex with wood
and a world of molded plastic and galvanized steel components
has allowed me to design and build attractive, cost
effective, environmentally friendly, and tough play
environments. |
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Price Relief!
You can afford to build this!
The usual assumption when you are building something
that is customized is that it will be more expensive.
Our designs, however, are cost efficient and
can be built at costs 25-30% less than conventional
metal and plastic structures. Our cost cutting
method of building from scratch on site means no shipping
costs, and the flexibility of our designs have made
us very successful at saving our clients money. Most
playgrounds have a life span of 15 years whether they
are metal, plastic, or wood. This is due to normal usage,
exposure to weather, the evolving tastes of the community,
and changes in the guidelines that regulate playgrounds.
Custom multi-material play environments respond better
to change. The ability to repair or upgrade is easy,
extending the life span of the play area with minimal
added cost. The look and feel of natural materials
and the organic forms we use is more inviting to kids
and adults alike. My designs have more activities
with a better use of space. The amount of play structures
and overall value of the custom design provide much
more for your resources.
Long Term Support
Martin Environment Design has several
Certified National Playground Safety Inspectors
on staff, certified by the National
Playground Safety Institute. We provide a safety
inspections and maintenance programs for every project
we build. The maintenance program is thorough and provides
ongoing record keeping for your insurance purposes.
Every element of the play environment is inspected and
a formal report is submitted with maintenance recommendations,
needed repairs, and suggested upgrades including costs.
The inspection includes evaluation of safety regulation
compliance for pre-existing equipment. |
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Contact us by phone
at: (203)878-5854
by e-mail at (include "playground" in subject field): FredMartin@EnvironmentDesign.com
or write us at:
45 Kenmore Lane
Milford, CT 06460 |
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