KALAHARI giant lizard play unit with three slides

KALAHARI is a complete themed play unit in the shape of a giant lizard, built on 139.7 mm steel posts and fitted with three polyethylene slides, the highest starting at 4.4 m. The green, yellow and red colour scheme and the animal form make it a destination piece rather than a single item of play equipment.

The posts are 139.7 mm diameter steel. The lizard head is assembled from 48.3 mm steel tube and 150 mm spheres. All steelwork is hot dip galvanised and powder coated, which is the finish used where a structure has to hold a strong colour outdoors and resist corrosion at the same time.

Two coil slides represent the lizard legs and start at 2.0 m, while a third slide representing the tongue starts at 4.4 m. Movement inside the structure is on isosceles triangular rope planes, which also give access to the lower slides, and a steel ladder shaped as the lizard back provides the external climb. The rope elements are braided and bonded polyamide of 18 mm diameter, with connectors in aluminium, stainless steel and plastic.

Technical specification

Planning a destination play unit

A slide starting at 4.4 m puts KALAHARI in the group of large play units that municipalities, leisure parks and campsites use to draw families to one point of a site. The three slide starts at two different heights let younger and older children use the same structure without competing for the same exit.

Play equipment installed permanently in a public area is covered by EN 1176 and the surfacing by EN 1177. With a slide start at 4.4 m the impact attenuating surfacing has to be tested to a correspondingly high critical fall height, so the surfacing budget should be established at the same time as the equipment budget. Footprint, safety areas and foundation setting out are issued with the implantation drawing.

Frequently asked questions

What surfacing does the 4.4 m slide require?

The surfacing is chosen from the free height of fall measured on the installed structure and must be tested to at least that critical fall height under EN 1177. We confirm the requirement with the implantation study.

Is the structure suitable for young children?

The two coil slides start at 2.0 m and are reached from the lower rope planes, so younger children have their own route. Supervision remains the operator responsibility.

How is the colour maintained?

The steel is hot dip galvanised and then powder coated. Galvanising provides the corrosion protection and the powder coat carries the colour, so surface damage can be touched up without exposing bare steel.