This seat is 20 years old: How to make street furniture last
20 years in the public realm: Classic Plaza Seats at the Australian War Memorial.
Thoughtfully designed and well-built street furniture, with durable materials and a consistent maintenance program, have lasted 30 years – or longer – in the public realm.
Here are our top tips for street furniture that stands the test of time.
1. Select a timeless design
Go for an aesthetic that will not date easily. Avoid trends that do not prioritise comfort, ergonomics and durability.
2. Select responsible, durable materials
In our 35 years of designing, manufacturing and supplying street furniture, we have refined our selection of responsible and durable materials. We use only responsibly-sourced materials that can be recycled in our products and packaging.
Durable materials retain their strength and integrity – they do not bow, sag, rust, stain or leach over time.
Our selected eco-certified hardwood, aluminium (both anodised and powder coated) and stainless steel all meet this criteria.
3. Implement a consistent maintenance program
Anodised aluminium, stainless steel and powder coated materials generally require only a wipe-down with a cloth and soapy water when necessary to keep them looking great.
Any minor breaks in powder coating can be repaired in a few simple steps documented in our General Maintenance Guide.
Eco-certified hardwood may require more maintenance work, depending on your preferred look and whether you wish to maintain your Warranty.
To keep up a warm timber look with oiled finish (and maintain your warranty) Street Furniture Australia recommends oiling a minimum of every three months. Your products may require more regular oiling depending on the conditions of your site – for example if they are in full sun.
For a more low maintenance option, the timber can be allowed to silver, however your battens may not last as long and will not be covered by warranty.
Phases of oiled timber ageing. Left: freshly oiled hardwood. Centre: approximately three months on, re-oil to retain warranty or allow to silver. Right: silvery grey patina develops – battens should be regularly checked for splintering.
For a timber look without the maintenance, select a Wood Without Worry aluminium woodgrain batten – with five standard shades to choose from ranging from dark to light, cool to warm.
4. Repair, refurbish, recycle
Our Parts Promise ensures spare parts are available for the life of standard products or for a period of up to five years after the product has been discontinued.
This means you can replace any standard parts, and recycle the originals, rather than purchasing a whole new product – treading more lightly on the planet.
The Australian War Memorial in Canberra is an excellent example of the right to repair in action. Classic Plaza Seats were installed 20 years ago, with the timber battens replaced in recent years to extend the life of the furniture.
Aluminium and stainless steel battens and parts can also be refurbished or replaced and recycled – with old powder coating removed and parts re-coated for a fresh look.
This is part of our commitment to circularity and responsible product stewardship – ensuring we consider the journey of each product from Cradle to Cradle, the right to repair and ability to recycle materials at the end of life.
A lasting place to rest: Classic Plaza Seats 20 years onsite at the Australian War Memorial.Street Furniture Australia products are made-to-order and powder coated inhouse, and quality-controlled to ISO standards.
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 …
Street Furniture Australia collaborated with Mobility Design Lab from Monash University to reimagine how urban bus stops and shelters could look, feel and work in the near future. The concept proposal was recently shortlisted for the Smarter Hobart Challenge, an international design competition launched by the City of Hobart in 2020. The competition called for “innovative and exciting ideas to help transform Hobart’s public transport services, and help make waiting for the bus reliable, safe, accessible and socially connective.” More than 120 entries were received from teams in Australia, the US, India, South America, Russia, Ukraine, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy and France. The concept by Monash University and Street Furniture Australia was one of five finalists. Bus travel can sometimes suffer from “a less optimal image” compared with other modes …
Ari Zaharopoulos is celebrating a significant milestone of 25 years working with Street Furniture Australia. Throughout his career he has processed an estimated 1.5 million battens. “If you have sat on a Street Furniture Australia seat or bench – anywhere around the country and overseas – the battens were likely processed by Ari,” says Head of Operations Christopher Morgan. Ari joined the company in 1995, when the factory was “much smaller,” he says, and located in Bourke Street, Alexandria. Production later moved to Buckland Street, Alexandria, before the upgrade to the Regents Park premises in Western Sydney. “There’s a lot more room to move now,” Ari says, “and the way we do things has become more and more efficient.” Batten drilling, for example, was originally done manually, with one hole …
This powdercoat additive uses silver ion technology to reduce microbial growth, such as bacteria and mold, up to 99.9% on coated surfaces. It is designed to be used in areas where there is an obvious need to maintain a low level of microbes with high traffic – for example in transport, schools and campuses, places of care and food preparation areas. The coating provides the same decorative and durable performance characteristics as your standard powdercoat, with an additional level of protection against microbial growth on its surface – making it easier to keep hygienically clean. The silver ion technology won’t wear off, wash out or leach from the coating. It is validated and quality control tested to ISO 22196:2011. Enquire with our sales team about adding anti-microbial protection to powdercoated …
