Modle playground for growth

Loh: Our playgrounds combine strong safety measures with challenge and controlled risk.

LOH Jon Ming, a father of three, finds that his philosophy towards parenting has shifted over the years.

“When parents have their first child, everything revolves around protection – playgrounds must be extremely safe, YouTube content must be filtered, books must be pre-read. But when you get to three kids, there’s no way to manage that for all of them,” he explains.

These days, he favours an approach that gives kids the freedom to independently explore and learn, within reasonable parameters.

“We won’t put them in danger, but we want them to be able to fend for themselves by the time they turn 12.

“We make sure they know how to be a good person, help others and have a positive view of the world, and beyond that, they can go off, play and discover things on their own.”

This outlook is reflected in the unique playgrounds created by Modle, the business Loh founded three years ago.

The company designs and builds modular indoor play areas for cafes, hotels, preschools and homes, specialising in play structures that encourage holistic growth and learning.

Each playground design is guided by strong safety measures while incorporating challenge and controlled risk, he says. From using child-safe laminates to making sure every edge is rounded, every structure and piece in a playground is designed with safety in mind.

Arrangements also consider how children will move and interact with the space – what Loh calls “play flows”. For example, slides cannot be placed next to stairs to avoid collision.

“At the same time, we don’t want to make it too easy or boring for them. There should be challenges that offer experimentation and excitement. The aim is for them to beg their mums to bring them back to this playground,” he notes.

Modle’s indoor playgrounds can be found in a number of local dining establishments, schools and homes.

One distinct characteristic of most of its play areas is the use of wood as the main material.

While metal and plastic offer benefits such as durability, lower price points and easy cleaning, Loh says wood provides a unique appeal to customers.

“Our clients insist on it because there’s just something about wood that’s very inviting.

“For us, it’s also easier to manipulate and more suitable for lower quantities that can be customised,” he says.

Another distinguishing aspect of the playgrounds is its modular system, which makes it possible to reconfigure or adapt the play area without having to tear it down and start from scratch.

This feature has been particularly useful for customers seeking to update or add new components to their existing playground to fit users of different age groups.

Depending on the customer’s requirements, Modle’s play spaces can cater to age ranges from six months to 12 years old.

“We start with deciding the components they want, based on ages, such as slides, monkey bars, ball pits and loft nets, and then we design accordingly,” he shares.

“For the youngest toddlers, it’s focused on physical learning and motor skills, while for ages three to four it’s more about developing communication skills and sharing. For five to seven years, it is designed to facilitate team play and collaboration.”

Loh says that the team is exploring ways to extend its offerings to include different types of play, such as sensory play areas featuring kinetic sand and Hinoki (Japanese cyprus) cube play bins.

In the last three years, Modle has steadily grown from building playgrounds for small cafes and preschools in the Klang Valley to serving clients in Johor and Penang.

Loh reveals that the company recently marked a milestone: its first international client in Singapore.

“Our objective was to start exporting, as Malaysia’s market is still hesitant for this kind of product. We’re blessed to reach that goal this year, and we’re now looking at potential clients in the United Kingdom and United States,” he says.

The company is also experimenting with a distribution model of selling its play sets through retailers on a consignment basis.

For Loh, one standout accomplishment in the business’ journey has been converting a poolside sunken cabana room at The St Regis Kuala Lumpur hotel into a kid’s club play area.

“It was challenging because we had to incorporate a playground into the space’s three flooring levels. The experience taught us a lot,” he says.

Additionally, it also strengthened the team’s expertise in designing modules to fit various indoor terrains while creating engaging play flows.

Looking ahead, the founder is prioritising growth locally as well through exports abroad, and aims to reach profitability this year.

“My goal is to make the business sustainable so that we can reward our loyal team and offer career development plans for my designers and managers,” he shares.

Loh’s long-term vision is for Modle to become Malaysia’s leading kids play area designer.

However, he says that the business is also open to opportunities beyond traditional playgrounds.

“No matter what we do, it will always revolve around helping kids play, take risks and explore.”