Urban Play & A1 Rubber:
Upcycled Rubber Surfacing for Creative Playground Design
For nearly 20 years, playground design company Urban Play has partnered with A1 Rubber to deliver creative, durable and sustainable playground environments across Australia.
By using upcycled tyre rubber surfacing, Urban Play can design vibrant, safe and long-lasting play spaces while supporting the circular economy by giving end-of-life tyres a new purpose.
Quick Facts
Project Partners: Urban Play – Playground and outdoor fitness design specialists
Industry: Playgrounds, parks and community recreation spaces
Partnership: Nearly 20 years working with A1 Rubber
Projects Delivered: 8,000+ play and fitness spaces across Australia
Materials Used:
- CSBR
- Opal EPDM
- Shockpads
- Procure
Key Applications:
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Public playgrounds
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School play environments
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Parks and community spaces
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Outdoor fitness areas
The Challenge
Playground designers must balance several competing priorities when delivering community play spaces:
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Creating visually engaging environments that inspire play
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Ensuring safety through impact-absorbing surfacing
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Selecting materials that can withstand heavy public use
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Supporting sustainability goals increasingly required by councils and communities
For Urban Play, achieving all of these objectives requires surfacing materials that are durable, versatile and environmentally responsible.
The Solution: Upcycled Rubber Surfacing
Many of A1 Rubber’s surfacing products are manufactured from upcycled Australian tyre rubber, transforming end-of-life tyres into high-performance flooring and landscaping materials.
Unlike traditional recycling, rubber upcycling converts waste tyres into products with equal or greater value, giving the material a long second life in demanding outdoor environments such as playgrounds and parks.
Each year, A1 Rubber converts more than 7,500 tonnes of waste tyre rubber into innovative rubber products at its Brisbane manufacturing facility.
For Urban Play, these materials provide a reliable solution that meets both design and sustainability objectives.
The Outcome
Through their long-standing partnership, Urban Play and A1 Rubber have helped deliver thousands of vibrant play spaces that encourage communities to get outdoors and stay active.
By combining innovative playground design with upcycled rubber surfacing, these projects demonstrate how sustainable materials can support both creative outcomes and long-term durability.
Safety and Simpler Installation
The practical benefits of A1 Rubber products also support Urban Play throughout the construction process.
The ease of installation and pre-certified Shockpads simplify the delivery of playground projects and help ensure surfaces meet required safety standards.
“The pre-certified Shockpads are really important when doing playgrounds,” says Urban Play Marketing Manager Sarah Barrett.
“It gives the client peace of mind, and we at Urban Play know it’s going to be certified and safe for the families that use it.”
This reliability helps streamline both design and construction while ensuring playground surfaces meet strict safety requirements.
Design Flexibility and Creative Play
One of the biggest advantages of rubber surfacing is the creative freedom it offers playground designers.
“From a design perspective, the beautiful thing about A1 Rubber is the wide range of colours available,” Barrett says. “Every park can be different, allowing us to create a unique identity for each space.”
Rubber surfaces can also enhance how people use and interact with playground environments.
“Rubber can add another play dimension,” Barrett explains. “It can be somewhere parents can sit, relax, and still engage in play.”
The versatility of the material also allows designers to create imaginative landscape features and sculptural play elements.
“We do a lot of rubber mounds, and we’ve done some incredible ones thanks to the versatility of A1 Rubber’s products,” Barrett says. “We created one in the shape of a whale’s tail, and we’ve done a ginormous rubber frog that kids can climb all over.”
These features add depth and storytelling to playground environments, something landscape architects particularly value.
“A lot of landscape architects love it because they can craft their own designs and really enhance the storytelling of the space.”
Collaboration and Support
Urban Play also values the support and experience provided by the A1 Rubber team throughout the design and construction process.
“Sometimes we design a park and think, ‘That’s a beautiful concept — how are we going to build it?’,” Barrett says. “Having access to the knowledge and expertise of the A1 Rubber team is incredibly valuable. Their experience helps us push the boundaries of design and construction.”
Beyond technical collaboration, the partnership also works smoothly from a business and logistics perspective.
“They’re really good logistically and easy to deal with,” Barrett adds. “They also have an online system where we can generate our own quotes, which saves time for our play consultants.”
Designing a playground, park or community space?
Explore how A1 Rubber’s upcycled rubber surfacing can support durable, safe and visually striking outdoor environments.
Contact our team to discuss your project or request product recommendations.