Log Pile

Log Pile, Early Learning Center, Wheaton College, Norton, MA, view 3

Log Pile, Early Learning Center, Wheaton College, Norton, MA, view 4

Overhead design rendering of Log Pile, green-topped pilings scattered on sand — Design rendering, plan view

Design rendering close-up of a piling where the green coating meets the natural wood along a shallow groove — Design rendering, detail of the paint line groove

Plan view drawing of Log Pile with piling lengths marked — Plan view

Elevation drawing of Log Pile with piling heights marked — Elevation view

Year

2021

Material

Marine pilings and playground paint (pilings are 12–14 in. in diameter)

Size

30 × 30 × 3 ft overall

Site

Early Learning Center, Wheaton College, Norton, MA

Status

Permanent

A playable outdoor sculpture for the Early Learning Center at Wheaton. The teachers asked for something interactive that would encourage healthy risk taking under supervision and open-ended imaginative play, and it also conforms to playground safety standards in Massachusetts. Scattered pilings, inspired by log jams and driftwood piles, are coated on top in a UV-stable, non-slip rubberized playground paint in moss greens. The green and natural portions meet along a shallow groove that reinforces the paint edge. Low to the ground and weather-resistant, it is meant to be touched, sat on, climbed, balanced on, and jumped off.