Evergreen Independent School

Playful Places: Creating Accessibility for Community, by Community

The Playful Places project at the Evergreen Independent School in Cobble Hill, BC was inspired by a student attending the school. The old schoolhouse wasn’t built with accessibility in mind and this particular student couldn’t access the upper classroom.  It was this exclusion that got the parents and educators inspired to come up with new ways to create inclusion at Evergreen.  

The project was not just about creating physical access but also about creating a culture of inclusivity at the school. It was about creating spaces that were for everyone to enjoy, to come together, to learn and to play. Led by Evergreen parent Colleen Fisher O’Dell and Evergreen Parent and TFG Board President Chris Koehn the build began to take shape, at first in rough sketches and brainstorming sessions and then finally, as a bona fide project. 

The project, which started as an idea for an accessibility ramp became so much more. There are two parallel cord truss bridges, a play area and a tree house. The scope included calculating lengths for approximately 30 posts and anchoring them and the joinery was a mix of traditional and contemporary connections. 

The project was a success! The TFG community came together, many along with their families and spent 5 days camping and working at the school. We had the opportunity to meet the community, to enmesh ourselves in their vision and to help them make it a reality.