Wood Every Time by Andrew Whittles

When it comes to choosing between wood and steel, there is really no contest as far as designers at leading playground manufacturers Playforce are concerned.

From an aesthetic point of view, wood has a more natural, textured appearance in the playground environment whilst steel can look harsh, clinical and cold.  From a practical point of view, wood’s cellular structure makes it a good insulator – meaning that it doesn’t respond to extremes of temperature –and it absorbs impact more easily.  It can also be chipped without causing any real damage to the overall look.  Steel, on the other hand, has 413 times less insulating ability, it is more painful to fall on and chipped powder coated or painted steel can look awful.

From an environmental point of view, wood wins hands down.  It is the world’s most abundant renewable resource and is recyclable, biodegradable and sustainable over the long term.  Whilst steel contributes to CO² levels by the burning of fossil fuels in production, trees absorb CO² while they are growing vigorously. 

At a certain point, usually between 50 and 300 years depending on the species and the growing conditions, CO² absorption in trees tapers off.  Playforce only uses wood that has been harvested sustainably which means that the CO² is locked away in a process called sequestration and is only released when the wood is burnt or biodegrades.  The forest that the timber has come from, meanwhile, is regenerated with young trees that absorb even more CO².

It takes 9 times more energy to produce a steel stud as it does to produce a wood stud.  Making steel releases 15 times more sulphur dioxide and 27 times more nitrous oxide than processing wood does.  Steel also requires 25 times more water in the manufacturing stage.

Playforce cares for both its customers and the environment.  That’s why Playforce chooses wood.