UNSW, the University of Sydney, Georges River Council and Street Furniture Australia together have won a 2020 PIA NSW Award of Excellence for the ChillOUT Hubs – Smart Social Spaces Creating Connected Green Places project.
CM+ developed site plans and furniture arrangements for the construction phase.
The PIA – Planning Institute of Australia – is the national body representing planning and the planning profession. State finalists from this year’s awards are eligible for the National PIA awards to be held in 2021.
ChillOUT received an Award of Excellence in the Best Planning Ideas (Small Project) category, which recognises a project that benefits a site or a local place. It is awarded for planning documents, programs, policies or projects that advance current planning practice within a localised setting.
The judges said: “COVID-19 has reinforced the need for high quality spaces. This project addresses this important issue using a collaborative approach to design and produces innovative open-air community spaces called ChillOUT Hubs.
“Adaptable to community needs and expectations, the Hubs are the result of a partnership between industry, academia and local government – providing a practical, functional and sustainable translation of smart cities concepts. Congratulations to the project team.”
Family time at the ChillOUT Hub in Timothy Reserve, Hurstville.
ChillOUT Hubs are open-air smart community spaces, co-designed by the project team, with design development and manufacturing by Street Furniture Australia, and installed for testing at three sites in the Georges River Council area in NSW.
A modular design allows customising for communities and sites – the three Hub prototypes are located at a busy thoroughfare in Kogarah, neighbourhood town centre in Mortdale and residential park in Hurstville.
The hubs offer seating and tables, shade, greenery, lighting, drinking fountains, public WiFi and device charging. In-built sensors provide Council with data on microclimate and use, for planning and maintenance.
Street Furniture Australia designed the hubs with input from its partners. Council undertook the overall project management, including installation. The universities are developing a digital asset management dashboard, and are evaluating the impact of the hubs with formal research studies.
The ChillOUT prototypes are currently undergoing further development in response to learnings from the Georges River installations. They are scheduled for launch in 2021.
An Uber driver charges his phone at the Mortdale ChillOUT Hub between trips.A long communal table for groups to meet at the Mortdale ChillOUT Hub.Powering devices at the ChillOUT Hub in Timothy Reserve, Hurstville.Lighting improves safety and usability at night, Hurstville ChillOUT Hub.
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 …
