Dunkirk: redevelopment of school grounds
Re-creation of inclusive and creative spaces
June 2024
Cerema has produced a series of fact sheets entitled ‘Resilience and school grounds’, which present projects for the redevelopment of school grounds. Adapting to each context, these projects share a concern for incorporating more nature, diversifying uses and improving living conditions, particularly in summer, to take account of ongoing climate change.
Here is the project developed in Dunkirk for the redevelopment of 3,065 m² of two half-courtyards (nursery and elementary) at the Porte d’Eau school, built in 1982 (290 pupils).
A project to diversify uses and improve the environment and quality of life at the school
The playground adjoins a park planted with trees, but appeared to be cut off from this urban environment, with two very mineral playgrounds separated by a dilapidated sanitary building. The kindergarten playground consisted of a vast central asphalt area, surrounded by a playground, a ‘little forest’ and a short lawn, offering a few green spaces much appreciated by the children, but unusable in wet weather. The elementary playground consisted of a large asphalt area with six trees and a stump as the main attraction. This favoured ball games in the centre of the playground, to the detriment of other uses, which were pushed to the periphery.
Towards a recreational environment conducive to children’s well-being
A genuine pilot project with a view to being replicated in other schools, this redevelopment has been initiated to improve this area where children spend a considerable amount of time. While the well-being of pupils and other users is at the heart of the project, it also takes into account all the issues involved in mitigating and adapting to climate change: rainwater management, thermal comfort and shade, and the place of nature in the city and biodiversity. To meet the different needs of different children, the aim is to calm the school climate by using plants and diversifying play areas, so that everyone can find their place. This fact sheet will focus on feedback on aspects relating to well-being and usage.
The City of Dunkirk is working more broadly on a policy to make active modes of transport safer in the vicinity of its schools, with the creation of new access points where possible.
This is the case at the Porte d’Eau school, where children in the elementary classes can now access the school via the urban park, rather than via the street running alongside the school buildings.
A pilot project involving all the players involved
Cross-disciplinary support to encourage replication of the project
The town wished to benefit from Cerema’s support in defining a working method and assisting with the design of this first renovation project, in order to learn lessons for future projects involving other school groups.
For upstream support, Cerema was called in to carry out a cross-disciplinary technical assessment of the existing courtyard, focusing in particular on bioclimatic aspects and rainwater management, in order to establish the objectives and principles of the development. An analysis of usage was also carried out through on-site observation, in partnership with AGUR (the urban planning agency that was leading a consultation process on this school). On this basis, the landscape architects Phytolab were able to manage the project and propose an integrated landscape and architectural design.
The project was therefore built on a cross-cutting principle, so as not to overlook any issues or potential benefits, while ensuring that maintenance constraints on the future playground were kept to a minimum.
Developing a participatory approach with Agur
Teachers, parents on the school council, class representatives and members of the children’s municipal council were consulted to ensure that the renovation proposal met the needs of users. The aim was to ensure that the space would be easier to use after the work had been completed, and that the project would be sustainable in the long term. Two site visits and a videoconference meeting were organised. Requests, questions and opinions on development proposals were recorded in a consultation booklet, to guide Phytolab’s proposals.
The principle of co-construction of the project also led to a number of improvements after the work was completed. For example, the parents noted that the small decorative rocks were too close to the platform, which could have been risky, so they were moved to the foot of the trees.
A courtyard for all uses
Giving each use its rightful place
The diagnosis revealed that the space was not optimised for the comfort of the pupils, nor for their recreational and educational development. In particular, the playground at the primary schools had no space for pupils to play in, and was sometimes a source of conflict.
The redesign of the playground has enabled everyone to find their place, by offering a wide range of uses and activities for the children. Quiet areas with huts (adapted to accommodate children in wheelchairs) have been set up for reading, chatting and so on. Boards have been installed on the huts so that children can write or draw. The climbing wall, dance mirrors and trampoline provide plenty of opportunities for physical exercise. Ball games are still available, but on a smaller scale. The children are invited to make the playground their own, using modular furniture. A bench can become an obstacle to jump over, or a top to spin around. What’s more, the playground becomes an educational tool in its own right. A space for sports lessons, the courtyard, with its vegetation, can be used to present concrete cases for natural science lessons. The amphitheatre area can be used for lessons, outdoor reading or extracurricular activities, and the trees can be used as a support for artistic activities. The intertwined lines of sports pitches, the work of artist Céline Condorelli (FRAC 2021), serve as a reminder of women’s access to sport and raise awareness of gender equality.
Recreational facilities revitalised beyond expectations
A clear improvement in the school’s outdoor environment
Feedback from all users was gathered in informal interviews. They are very positive. The children are taking full advantage of the new games, which can be adapted to their imagination and current desires.
All their senses are stimulated: their sight is stimulated by the insects to be observed and the colours that change throughout the year, their hearing by the birdsong, their sense of smell by the flowers and aromatic plants, their sense of taste by the fruit, and their sense of touch by the different materials present, particularly on the ground.
The teaching team did not expect such improvements. In addition to calming the children during recess, the redesigned playground provides a more pleasant environment in which to work. Parents are particularly pleased with the replacement of the sanitary facilities. For the management staff, the wood shavings only require occasional maintenance and therefore do not pose a problem, despite initial fears.
Drawing on the method developed by Cerema, the town of Dunkirk is planning to renovate one playground a year, in order to increase the amount of waterproofing, encourage rainwater infiltration, improve thermal comfort and promote biodiversity.
Focus: children’s ownership of the facilities
Benches
Some of the new benches are light and, above all, mobile, allowing children to play with them: an upturned bench used as a swing, an improvised obstacle course: children are taking full advantage of this freedom to play!
Bike and scooter racks
Bicycle and scooter racks have been installed in the playground to keep bikes and scooters safe and out of the rain. This encourages parents to use active modes of transport with their children, since the immediate access routes are themselves safe (park, wide pavements along the nearby canal).
Mirrors and chalk for creativity
At the request of the children, expressed during the consultation process, mirrors have been installed against the gates, so that they can practise dance choreographies during recess. The amphitheatre can be used as a stage, and the chalkboards on the huts can be used for drawing, although the pupils prefer to use chalk directly on the hut or on the floor.
Pond, trees and flower meadow
The children make the most of the planted areas for playtime and rest: benches in the shade of the trees, pools where they can do acrobatics in dry weather, paths marked out by the trees, etc. And they are quick to comment on the choice of flowers for the meadow: ‘lovely, but we’d like more different colours!
THE KEYS TO SUCCESS, The project owner’s point of view
Involving users and technical services from the outset to understand their needs is essential, even if it takes time. It also helps to support the paradigm shift, as the renovation involves a transition from a ‘courtyard to watch over’ to a ‘courtyard to animate’. Here, the creativity of the landscaper meets the creativity of the children and their ability to express their desires and imagine new functions for the furniture, with the collaboration of other adults (teachers, parents, etc.) as a sine qua non.
Carrying out an analysis of the different challenges facing the playground will enable you to adopt a cross-disciplinary approach and ensure that no aspect of the project is overlooked in the design principles. Anticipating accessibility and maintenance is at the heart of this upstream thinking, to design a diverse and sustainable space.
Extending the project to the area around the school has made it possible to examine access in relation to the policy of making active modes of transport safer in the vicinity of schools. This led to the opening up of the playground to the urban park, so that the school could benefit from the park’s amenities.
Learning to spread is the initial ambition of a pilot project such as this, and the choice of project management support. The city of Dunkirk manages 35 schools in its area and wants to renovate one courtyard a year using the same principles of action and the method developed jointly with Cerema. AGUR will continue to provide ad hoc support throughout the process.