The largest trampoline park in Europe is set to open this month at Kembrey Park in Swindon, and whilst the idea might sound built with kids in mind, Freedog is a park fit for children of all ages. Freedog is based in a former distribution centre encompassing a 3,300m2 space and holding over 100 trampolines! The park has been designed by interior design consultancy Dolman Bowles, who decided to design the park for a more discerning audience than competing parks. Whilst they concede that their main audience is families with children and teenagers, they say they are also counting on 20-30 year-olds enjoying the fun, and to help draw in the older crowd, they're using a defiantly urban design and implementing some pretty nifty ideas.
The design retains the industrial style of the business park in which it is based, with concrete floors, the retention of original markings from when the building was a distribution centre, industrial-style lighting, raw plywood and cardboard tables and chairs, and shipping containers to separate the park's different areas. The space is divided into a main court, two dodge ball courts, two basketball courts, and two foam pits. The main court is like one gigantic trampoline, with 83 mats set together in a design that almost feels like an old-school skateboard park. The foam pits, meanwhile, allow bouncers to test their freestyle skills without fear of injury.
Freedog, the largest trampoline park in Europe, is set to open this month at Kembrey Park in Swindon
Additional shipping containers will also be added to the space over time, to create a parkour-training space for free runners, an electronic gaming zone where visitors can compete in virtual reality battles, a DJ tower and a café. The e-gaming zone is almost certainly what's going to draw in the adults, with equipment such as bespoke treadmills that will let visitors physically immerse themselves in the onscreen action. The walls of the building and shipping containers have also been left as blank canvases, so illustrators and graffiti artists will be encouraged to hold competitions and showcase their work. In terms of design, Dolman Bowles has implemented a grey, white and black colour scheme for the trampolines and shipping containers, with splashes of fuchsia pink scattered throughout the park. The style is very urban, but also surprisingly approachable.
Dolman Bowles co-founder Phil Dolman describes Freedog as an “Urban Activity Centre,” which purposely gives off “A bit more of a grown-up feel, and shows its not just trampolines in a building.” He adds that they “Wanted to keep the building as raw as possible. It’s not been fully-prettied up. This is to maintain the honest, utilitarian feel when you walk into the warehouse, rather than trying to hide that quality.” Regarding the less cluttered and colourful approach to design, he adds that “A lot of trampoline parks go for multi-coloured interiors, but there’s something a bit more sophisticated about this palette.”
In terms of design, Dolman Bowles has implemented a grey, white and black colour scheme, with splashes of fuchsia pink scattered throughout
Change Nation designed branding for the park, whilst Sibling & Co created the graphics. The name was chosen to convey a feeling of freedom and exuberance. Freedog trampoline park is set to open in the coming weeks, and visitors will be charged at £10 per booked hour slot. Bookings are being taken today.
