PLAY TIME

Traveling through the airport can be a stressful experience for young families, but a well-placed playground can make all the difference

ABOVE: Rodeco worked with its Italian partner Glamour Lab to develop the playground at Rome Fiumicino Airport

ABOVE: Rodeco’s playgrounds can be placed anywhere thanks to their anchorless design

With the world reopening to travel, airports have begun looking at how they can improve the passenger experience by rethinking and reforming their public spaces. As customer expectations grow, so does the complexity of delivering an experience they are satisfied with.

Often, the requirements of guest and operators are at odds with one another, While guests are attracted by inviting and comfortable spaces, managers look for flexible, practical and sustainable customized solutions.

Family-owned Swedish playground manufacturer Rodeco has a long history in the leisure sector. The company’s mission is two-fold: to make public spaces more family-friendly and attractive through a memorable experience for children and parents, and to increase visitor satisfaction and brand recognition for the client.

Rodeco designs and produces its own products and has a successful track record in markets such as shopping malls and public spaces. In recent years, the company has been approaching the
travel and airport industry, offering an innovative new playground system tailored to the airport environment.

Modular approach
As a pioneer in pre-assembled, ‘ready-to-use’ playgrounds, Rodeco offers a ‘pop-up’ play concept that is fully customizable and suitable to be placed wherever there is unused free space.

The modular, prefabricated playground is delivered on a pallet and can be quickly erected where it is needed. The unique Scandinavian-inspired design is simple and bold, resulting in play modules that make waiting at the gate more enjoyable. The flexible design enables playgrounds to be customized to suit the decor of the surrounding terminal or corridor, or outfitted with specific branding when placed alongside a café or restaurant.

The key to Rodeco’s success lies in the versatility of its playground systems. There is no need for the installation to be fixed to the floor, and the modular, detachable floor edges enable the play area to be divided if necessary. Cleanliness and hygiene are important to ensure a playground lasts a long time, so Rodeco’s systems feature gel-coated painted surfaces and floors covered in EPDM rubber for easy maintenance.

A special optional feature is the possibility to have the playground certified in a higher fire-resistance class than usual (Bfl-s1). As a result, Rodeco’s playgrounds meet not only the European safety requirements (EN 1176) but also the highest fire resistance standards.

ABOVE: Gel-coated surfaces and EPDM rubber floors ensure easy maintenance and boost longevity

Italian installations
Rodeco is an established international supplier with strong local roots, and its playgrounds have been installed at several airports around the world. Working with local partner Glamour Lab, Rodecorecently installed playgrounds at Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino airports in Italy.

“The key to Rodeco’s success lies in the versatility of its playground systems”

With a strong connection to the city, Milan Linate is one of the busiest airports in Italy. As part of a wider transformation program, Rodeco and Glamour Lab designed and developed a customized playground to occupy a free space near the food court, where families tend to dwell prior to their flights. For Leonardo da Vinci Airport, confirmed as the best European airport (over 40 million pax) for a fourth time by ACI Europe in 2022, Rodeco and Glamour Lab looked to improve the travel experience by creating a flexible playground that was unique in style. As a result, the play area was created as a ‘pop-up’ installation, enabling future relocation and immediate reuse of the area.

^{This article originally appeared in Passenger Terminal World}