Industry

Parks & Recreation

Key Collaborators

Rockyview Projects, The City of Edmonton

Website

The Concept

In 1915, the North Saskatchewan River flooded to more than ten metres above normal, displacing settlements along Edmonton's river valley and permanently redirecting the city's growth to higher ground. That pivot point preserved one of Canada's most impressive urban park systems. Dermott District Park sits within that legacy. Real Life conducted archival research into the flood and its impact on Edmonton's urban development, using those findings as the conceptual backbone for a five-zone natural playground that connects a new generation of children to the river's story.

The Challenge

The City of Edmonton's master plan for the park included a playground proposal with significant compliance issues. Real Life identified these risks early and worked with the City to resolve them before design began, protecting the project and its timeline. The design then had to satisfy both CSA Z614 and the City of Edmonton's own Playspace and Wheeled Sport Facility Design and Construction Standards – a layered regulatory framework that shaped every decision from layout to material selection.

The Solution

Real Life developed five distinct play zones across the park, each drawing from a chapter of the flood narrative. The Alpine Headwaters is an accessible berm structure with a custom stainless steel chute slide evoking glacial melt descending to the valley. Below it, the River Washout assembles playable flood debris – log climbers, nets, and displaced structures – referencing the timber jam that lodged at Edmonton's Low Level Bridge in 1915. The Humberstone Mine Towers translate the ad hoc timber construction of the coal mines into a climbable structure. A toddler camp and a hardwood warming hut complete the circuit, offering something for every age.