Case Study: Canada’s Tallest Playground in Castlegar, BC
Location: Castlegar, BC
Project Type: Community Playground
Highlights:
- Canada’s Tallest Play Structure: A 12-metre (40-foot) KOMPAN Robinia Castle, the tallest in Canada.
- Inclusive Design: Accessible to children of all ages and abilities, creating social play and discovery.
- Community-Centered: Enhancing Millennium Park & Ponds as a beloved community hub.
- Sustainable Materials: Built with natural, sustainably sourced wood for lasting durability.
- Unmatched Play Value: 13+ interactive activities offering adventure through climbing and thrilling slides.
Rising high into the western sun, shadowed by mountains and overlooking the beautiful expanse of the Columbia River, stands Canada’s tallest play structure. Nestled in the heart of the Western Kootenays, this vibrant community offers more — more vibrancy, more excitement, and more unforgettable experiences.
Millennium Park serves as the community’s focal point. Located along the banks of the Columbia River, it provides an expansive space for outdoor fun and activity. From trail walking and water adventures at the nearby Millennium Ponds to exploring the exhilarating, inclusive play space designed for all ages and abilities — every visit sparks joy, connection, and endless possibilities!
Installed in the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, GPI Masters of Play collaborated with Parkworks to bring this fantastic play space to life. With a vision to create Canada’s tallest play structure featuring engaging and inclusive play activities, Parkworks’ team of designers and product experts drew on years of expertise to provide a solution that not only met but exceeded all expectations.
The Challenge
In a community where there’s always more to explore, the need for a playground that offered equally limitless play experiences was essential. It had to accommodate diverse activities and abilities while creating a community-centered destination park. This vision took root for the City of Castlegar over a decade ago, evolving and expanding as federal and provincial grants helped bring it closer to reality.
The primary objective of this project was to design a destination park that would attract both residents and visitors, offering play experiences for everyone. The park was to include multiple play activities, catering to universal design principles while complementing the environment around Castlegar through the selection of materials, equipment, and surfacing.
This project aimed to do more than add exciting play activities — it was about transforming the park into a vibrant destination where children could imagine, explore, and play, while creating meaningful social connections within the community.
The Solution
Designing a play solution for Millennium Park required a thorough understanding of the unique wants and needs of the city, its residents, and future visitors. Guided by this insight and backed by Parkworks’ extensive product knowledge, the team created the final design that balanced vision with budget. Recognizing the park's importance as a central community space, Parkworks helped design a play environment that thoughtfully connected with existing amenities and walking trails. At the heart of this play space would stand Canada’s tallest play structure—a towering KOMPAN Robinia Castle—jam packed with play value to draw children in from all directions. The thoughtful design featured detailed surfacing and inclusive play principles, ensuring a space that could accommodate all ages and abilities.
By partnering with some of the world’s top park and playground manufacturers, Parkworks ensures that clients like the City of Castlegar receive cutting-edge products made from high-quality, sustainable materials. These products are produced using industry-leading processes that prioritize the highest safety standards. Recognizing their commitment to excellence, Parkworks experts identified the KOMPAN Robinia Castle as the perfect choice to elevate Millennium Park into an unforgettable playground destination. The materials are not only durable and designed to withstand all weather conditions, but also offer a natural aesthetic with a high fire rating — ensuring safe, lasting play for years to come.
The Implementation
From conceptual design to securing the winning bid and completing project installation, our team collaborated closely with the client, providing continuous support at every stage. Drawing on extensive industry expertise, the team showcased what sets Parkworks apart. Our commitment ensured an effective design solution for the client, while our project management team expertly handled equipment supply and installation. Through proactive on-site supervision, our team efficiently adapted to inevitable schedule shifts with efficiency and precision, ensuring a smooth and successful project delivery.
The completed design and play space not only brought the City’s vision to life but went beyond expectations, seamlessly connecting with the surrounding landscape and recreation areas. At its heart stands the awe-inspiring KOMPAN Robinia Castle, rising 12 metres (40 feet) into the sky—a true landmark of play. With its captivating design and unmatched play value, it’s impossible to miss. The space also features rubber surfacing for full accessibility, along with thoughtfully designed site amenities that invite families and friends to relax, gather, and make lasting memories.
KOMPAN Robinia Castle
Building structures from natural, sustainable materials designed for lasting play just makes sense. Playgrounds have always been central to childhood development, offering social spaces and activities that nurture cognitive and physical skills—key elements that define the joy of play. Incorporating these features into Millennium Park not only provides lasting play value but also reinforces Parkworks’ commitment to a healthier future for everyone.
Designed as a fully accessible destination park, the space features over 13 interactive activities, including climbing, crawling, social play, and gathering, it’s a place where fun and discovery come to life. Two massive tube slides twist down from heights of 8 feet and 22 feet—delivering heart-racing play moments that kids (and even daring adults!) can’t get enough of.
What makes the KOMPAN Robinia line truly priceless is its exclusive use of natural wood. Sourced from sustainably managed European forests, each piece is harvested to follow the wood’s natural grain, ensuring every cut and board is unique. This means that every Robinia product—from spinners to towering play structures—is genuinely one of a kind. Castlegar is now home to not only the tallest structure in Canada but also a play experience that’s truly unmatched.
The Outcome
With the support of Parkworks and its partners, Millennium Park opened to the public in the summer of 2024, drawing tremendous support and turnout from the City of Castlegar and beyond.
“Spaceships, pirate ships, and tree houses are cool,” said Travis Christianson, the former Engineering Manager for the city, “but we’re in Castlegar—it had to be a castle!”
The City of Castlegar even gained national recognition for its dedication to sustainable landscape design, earning the prestigious Scotts Turf Builder Outstanding Achievement Landscape Award at the 2024 Communities in Bloom National Awards.
Canada’s tallest play structure was thoughtfully designed with sustainability, accessibility, and community engagement at its core and has become a symbol of imaginative play and environmental stewardship—a true celebration of Castlegar’s spirit.
The decision to design a playground space near Millennium Park & Ponds, featuring an extraordinary play structure like the KOMPAN Robinia Castle, perfectly compliments an already beloved community park. With panoramic views from the top, overlooking the park, ponds, and the nearby Columbia River, the castle offers more than just a fun play space. It provides children of all abilities with endless opportunities for adventure and discovery, while also standing as a bold, lasting landmark for the City of Castlegar—an iconic feature that will inspire generations of play to come!
Looking to create a fun, inclusive, and active park space for your community? Let our team of experts guide you every step of the way! At Parkworks, we specialize in transforming spaces into thriving community hubs.
Contact us today to start building the park of your dreams!