Star Meadows Park

inclusive | school playground | neighborhood park

Erie, Colorado

Innovative School Playground and Neighborhood Park

Design Concepts began working with the Town of Erie and its residents to determine the goals for this neighborhood park. Once it was determined Boulder Valley School District planned to build a PK-8 school adjacent to the park site, Design Concepts worked with the School District and Town to integrate both properties in making one cohesive site.

Inspired by its name, Star Meadows Park embraces the celestial theme beginning with its Solar Summit Observatory. This 10’ high mound located at the corner of the park, includes a winding trail directing you to the top of the mound with panoramic views of the front range mountains. Engaging interactive facts about the sun and solar system are dotted along the trail with the completion of your journey exploring the human sundial. Directly in-line of the new elementary school’s courtyard sits the Star Burst plaza. Paper airplane shade shelters backed by a water misting play area mimicking the contrails of planes in flight was strategically located to allow large community gathering space between the school and the park. In following the theme of the park, starry rays of light fill the plaza in the evenings, a large space themed playground with natural play components foster imagination of life on another planet and Galaxy Hill landforms encourage passive play such as hill rolling and provides a visual barrier between the school and park. Other fun features include:

  • Sledding hill

  • Slack-line posts

  • Basketball court

  • Multi-use field with space for volleyball

  • Trail connectivity to nearby trail system, adjacent school and neighborhood