As the value of public spaces comes into focus, this article shares seven case studies of street furniture being used to help improve community wellbeing.
Both tactical pop-ups and permanent installations are featured below, with examples of projects that foster community engagement and measure social impact.
Street Furniture Australia products have been tried-and-tested to activate spaces and deliver results. Select from our range to bring life, joy and comfort to your community.
Case 1. Creating Millions of Smiles
Woden Experiment was a six-month prototype installation by the ACT Government that aimed to bring life, joy and comfort to Canberra’s Woden Town Square. Brightly coloured seats and tables were configured in random positions to create a casual and welcoming vibe. Community interviews, observations and workshops were at the heart of this project. More about the project here.
Project: Woden Experiment, Woden Town Centre, ACT Year: 2018 – 2019 Client: ACT Government (Initial Concept Design by Context). Event programs managed by Woden Community Services. Products Shown: Forum Seat, Forum Low Table, Cafe Round Table, Cafe Stool
Aerial view of Woden Experiment.Forum Seat, Cafe Round Table and Cafe Stools in Telemagenta Pink, Bondi Blue, Sensation Orange and Viper Green.
Case 2. A Busy Streetscape
The Aria Seating System entices people to stop along a busy street by offering places to rest, meet, dine, and even bring the laptop outside. This smart cities project uniquely combined placemaking, industrial design and smart technology to create engaging spaces for the Federal Smart Cities and Suburbs Program. See more about the project.
Aria Seating System with Wood Without Worry aluminium battens in Spotted Gum and Textura Monument frames.ChillOUT Hubs are prototype smart open-air community spaces being tested on site.
Case 3. Physical Distancing with View
Brisbane City Council created a green riverside community retreat with new furniture, trees, landscaping and pathways for pedestrians and cyclists in an upgrade for the West End Riverside Parklands. Visitors can rest and watch the river on Mall Sun Lounges installed on the bank. The battens are powdercoated in a spectrum of green to promote relaxation.
Project: West End Riverside Parklands, QLD Client: Brisbane City Council Product: Mall Sun Lounge
Mall Sun Lounges with battens in Pearl White, Lycra Strip Green, Viper Green and Shamrock Green.Mall Sun Lounges facing the river at sunset.
Case 4. Green Boundaries
Planter boxes bring greenery to soften spaces, contributing to community wellbeing and cooling the urban heat island effect. Use planters to mark out areas and boundaries – delineate activation footprints to make installations feel less exposed and increase social comfort for sitting. They can also mark expanded footpaths and cycle lanes for social distancing on the street.
Frame Planter, rectangular with Textura Woodland Grey panels. Frame Planters, rectangular with Textura Monument panels.
Case 5. The Moveable Seat
Combine fixed and moveable seats and tables to anchor a design, with a degree of flexibility – allow users to arrange seating to socialise or follow the shade. Forum is a hybrid of a street furniture and patio seat – moveable yet durable for use in the public realm. Forum is available in 1, 3 and 4-seater configurations. See our article on the moveable seat, William H Whyte and the power of choice.
Forum Seats and Cafe Round Tables, powdercoated in DuraBright colours.Flexible settings with Forum Seats, Cafe Round Tables and Cafe Stools.
Case 6. Data for Storytelling
Watch the video below about how #BackyardExperiment boosted visitation by almost 200% through a street activation in Garema Place in Canberra’s CBD. This project, inspired by William Whyte, received the 2018 Australian Smart Cities Award in the Built Environment category by the Smart Cities Council ANZ. A free white paper is also available.
60 movable seats. 8 days. 1 location. This short documentary shows how a colourful pop-up park increased foot traffic by 190% in only 8 days.A joyful pop-up. Forum Seat in Bondi Blue.
Case 7. Rainbow Bright
Our powdercoat colours feature DuraBright™ for extra fade-resistance and a peace of mind. Add a pop of colour to attract people to spaces, soften hard surfaces and brighten the mood.
Mall Curved Slim Benches with Mall Slim Benches powdercoated in a DuraBright rainbow spectrum. Mall Curved Slim Benches.
Made in Australia
All our products are ISO certified and quality controlled to ISO standards. In-house powder coating offers a wide range of colours, featuring DuraBright for bright palettes with extra fade resistance.
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Street Furniture Australia factory in Western Sydney.
The Street Furniture Australia factory, in Regents Park, Western Sydney, is both a manufacturing hub and R&D studio for our Australian-designed and made street furniture products. We run fun and informative group events for customers throughout the year, to share how products are designed, tested and built, and the latest products and projects. Director of Tract Julie Lee said: “It was a great opportunity for our team to look behind the scenes and understand the innovation, research and climate positive outcomes Street Furniture Australia is focusing on. Thank you for having us!” Place Design Group Associate, Liam Isaksen, said: “The factory tour is a fun experience to learn about the design and manufacturing process of public furniture we use in landscape architecture design. Seeing the work behind the scenes and …
Did you catch these most-read case studies, furnishing tips, new product announcements and special industry events in your StreetChat updates in 2023? Each month our StreetChat enewsletter publishes new projects, products and trends from the public domain; subscribe to receive it in your inbox. 10. Which design firm can see Longhorn Cattle from their office window? 2 countries. 9 cities. 300 landscape architects. Street Furniture Australia and USA partner Spruce & Gander visited offices in Australia and Texas. There were key similarities and some notable standouts. 9. Jazz at The Mint: Product and Book Launch Sydney landscape architects gathered at the iconic Mint Courtyard to launch a design book by our founding directors Darrel Conybeare and Bill Morrison, and expansions to the Linea collection. 8. 2023 Good Cause Giveaway goes to …
Street Furniture Australia has designed and built prototype charging stands as part of a Transport for NSW program to deliver free phone chargers at 15 Sydney train stations. Developed by Street Furniture Australia’s inhouse industrial designers in collaboration with Transport for NSW, the prototypes offer wireless, USB-A and USB-C charging, and can power 7 devices at once. They were built at the Street Furniture Australia factory in Western Sydney. Two Power Spots are now installed at Liverpool and Campbelltown stations. The $1 million Power Spots Project rollout to 15 transport hubs including Bankstown, Hurstville, Lidcombe, Penrith, Wynyard, Central, Town Hall and Bondi Junction will be completed by late 2024. NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the Power Spots provide peace of mind: “In the modern world, our phones are our …
New experimental open-air smart hubs, created by Street Furniture Australia at our studio and factory in Western Sydney, have been officially launched by Georges River Council Mayor Kevin Greene on Thursday February 20, 2020. “ChillOUT Hubs aim to offer some relief in our densifying cities by providing opportunities to meet, work or rest, and spend more time outdoors,” says Street Furniture Australia Head of Innovation June Lee Boxsell. “Each hub packs a punch – integrating shade, seats and tables, charging stations, solar power, sensors, lighting, public WiFi, greenery, smart fountains and smart bins – a big feat combining tech, industrial design and placemaking,” she says. Three hubs are already installed in the Georges River Council region in south Sydney as part of a pilot study for the Australian Government’s Smart …
The City of Canterbury Bankstown transformed a section of North Terrace in Bankstown into an interactive experience for a week in June. The Future Street exhibit showcased how landscape, infrastructure and technology may advance the city to become more liveable, productive and sustainable. Future Street Canterbury-Bankstown also highlighted two of the city’s major projects under consultation: the ‘Smart CBCity Roadmap‘ and ‘Bankstown Complete Streets Transport and Place Plan‘. The 2019 pop-up follows the original 2017 Future Street activation, held in front of Customs House in Circular Quay – a project designed by Place Design Group with the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, Smart Cities Council ANZ and the Internet of Things Alliance Australia. To help demonstrate these ideas, product vendors including Street Furniture Australia, Smart Sensor, Lime, Andreasen’s Green and …
Seven special-edition rainbow Pride Seats, donated by Street Furniture Australia to the Inner West Council to celebrate marriage equality, have now been installed. Each seat recognises a local activist who has advanced LGBTIQ human rights, equity and inclusion. They are found in the suburbs of Newtown, Rozelle, Marrickville, Leichhardt, Summer Hill and Lilyfield. The unveiling … The first rainbow seat, installed in Newtown, was unveiled in an emotional ceremony attended by many of the dedication nominees, their families, friends and the community. Particularly moving speeches were given by the loved ones of those recognised posthumously. Elder Aunty Jenny Thomsen opened the event with thoughts on rainbows as symbols of healing and love, saying the seats will “reflect light out” into the community. “Public art is very important because it expresses who were are as a community …
