Overview

Spiel Art (Play Art) are a European company whose factory is located in a rural area that was formerly part of East Germany. Created in 1991, they now employ some 60 highly skilled wood workers, cabinet makers and joiners who together specialise in creating beautiful, bespoke structures made predominantly using whole sections of Robinia timbers.

They have a standard range of designs and are also able to make unique one offs to fit around a certain tree / slope etc.

Benefit: Every structure produced is a unique piece of beautiful, hand crafted Robinia Timber play equipment.

Robinia Timber

Robinia Timber is a very dense temperate hardwood and as such is very difficult to burn.

Colours

The equipment can be ordered in 2 basic colour forms;

• Natural - without any form of staining. In this form the timber material will silver/grey in a relatively quick period of time in the same way that Chestnut shingles age.
• Oil Based Stains - either coloured or natural/clear.

Equipment will need to be re-stained once every 5 years or so. The process is simple and requires non specialist labour.

Why Robinia
(False Acacia / Black Locust)

Robinia Pseudoacacia is a temperate hardwood with the resistance and durability typically found only in tropical hardwoods (Teak / Iroko). A native of North America, it is now grown widely throughout Europe especially in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. The Latin name 'Robinia' honours a French gardener, Jean Robin, who introduced the tree from North America about 1600.

It is one the most frequently cultivated deciduous trees in the world.

It is grown in a sustainable fashion - it’s a fast growing commercial crop.

It is harder than Oak and one of only a few species growing in Europe that is categorised as resistance classification 1 (out of 5) in accordance with DIN 68 364 and resistance class 1 according to BS EN 350-2. As such it can be used without any form of pressure treatment, tanalisation or chemical protection (1), making it a very safe material, ideal for children’s playground equipment. It will typically last up to 70 years in the ground without any form of preservative! As a member of the pea family it has nitrogen fixing nodules on its root system and so it can be used to colonise areas of extremely poor soil.

Robinia Mechanical Properties

* = air-dry – typically 15% moisture content remaining

Inspections

Post Installation inspections are essential to confirm the unit has been built and re-assembled in accordance to current standards.

Maintenance and Spares

The equipment requires little maintenance except that of re-staining, where applicable.

Spares are freely available. Timbers can be modelled as required to fit a unique space.

Guarantees

Ten years for all wooden components.

Five years for all third-party add-on items (e.g. slides, nets, chains)