San Jose Rotary PlayGarden
Initially envisioned by Rotarian Julie Matsushima, who recognized the disparity of play spaces often isolates children with special needs, had a desire to witness her twin granddaughters play together. As one was born with cerebral palsy, this became the catalyst to use her platform as past president of the Rotary Club of San Jose to have the PlayGarden’s construction be the focus of the Centennial project. It also wonderfully serves as a centennial gift to the community.
The San Jose Rotary PlayGarden is the city’s first all-inclusive play space opened in May 2015, featuring a variety of dynamic and fun play structures designed to be used by all abilities, and even surpassing ADA requirements. Beautifully nestled in the Guadalupe Gardens adjacent to the Guadalupe River, it promotes fun and connection to the surrounding ecology, while empowering the entire community to play, discover and connect with one another. The park facilitates play spanning from the tentative to the robust and allows for repose as well as activity—children can engage by rotating, swinging, sliding, climbing, spinning, and bouncing with equipment and elements that vary in kinetics and tactility. Elements such as sand, water, and a wheelchair-accessible carousel stimulate different types of play within an encouraging collaborative layout.
The 5-acre PlayGarden is situated alongside a tributary of San Francisco Bay and directly in an airport flightpath, features an estuarine slough-shaped motif, with imagery of waving grasses, flowing water, and animals moving with ease through water and air. The sinuous, unbounded nature of an aquatic environment mirrors what the design seeks to evoke: physical motion, and the sense of possibility inherent in long vistas, water, and flight. Part of the park’s legacy involves the use of staff and volunteers with special needs to help with maintenance. The Santa Clara County Office of Education and San Andreas Regional Center also support programming at the facility for their clients. The Rotary Club is also funded by community donations.
HMH provided landscape architecture services to enhance its inviting nature.