Sugarbaker Nature Play Park

The Sugarbaker Nature Play Park is a one-of-a-kind, universally accessible, and nature-focused play landscape that builds upon a century of evolving concepts of play, including natural, loose-parts, adventure, and sculpture playgrounds.

Situated on the original Sugarbaker Orchard – now the Sugarbaker Foundation – the site includes the original family home, extensive open field areas, woodland, and a pond. The master plan provides a cohesive framework for how those areas may be activated and unified under the umbrella of play and universal accessibility, while anticipating the integration of further site developments, including event staging areas and a new school.

Unlike traditional centralized and enclosed accessible playgrounds, this project conceives of a destination play park that is fully integrated into the landscape; comprising a series of accessible, interconnected and play-activated pathways and nodes that invite children of all abilities and ages (from crib to cane) to learn, explore and play together.

The project maintains a cohesive identity across a diverse range of site typologies through a curated material palette and a unifying “Missouri Creatures” concept, which guides the design of each individual play node to reference a different one of Missouri’s many native and adapted insects, birds, and mammals.