What is the meaning of park furniture?

Equipment installed along streets and roads

A postbox, litter bin and bench on a street in Warminster, England Street furniture can reflect local culture or famous aspects of where they are located, as here at Lyme Regis, where the ammonite-design streetlamps reflect the town's location on the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage site.

Street furniture is a collective term for objects and pieces of equipment installed along streets and roads for various purposes. It includes benches, traffic barriers, bollards, post boxes, phone boxes, streetlamps, traffic lights, traffic signs, bus stops, tram stops, taxi stands, public lavatories, fountains, watering troughs, memorials, public sculptures, and waste receptacles.

Description and use

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Street furniture is a collective term used in the United States,[1] United Kingdom,[2] Australia,[3] and Canada.[4][5] It refers to objects and pieces of equipment installed along streets and roads for various purposes. The design and placement of furniture should take into account aesthetics, visual identity, function, pedestrian mobility and road safety. For example, street furniture can be positioned to control overspill parking in addition to its primary purpose; for example a bench and a number of bollards may be used to block access to a sidewalk or verges for vehicles.[6]

A parkour practitioner vaults over a rail.

Street furniture is used unofficially as sports equipment for skateboarding, parkour and street workout.

Items

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Outdoor advertising

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• Posters are a part of out-of-home media (also referred to as OOH). The presentation of backlit posters is done in display boxes or street furniture components like mega-displays or billboards. To install these street furniture components on public ground, city councils have to approve them. To get these permissions (Europe, Asia and part of the US) services and fees are offered to the cities by the outdoor advertisers.
• In Europe there is a heavy competition to advertise in public spaces. This is due to the high potential for exposure and influence.
• Public advertising amenities must fit the broader architecture and urban planning rules of their cities. These requirements lead to interesting design approaches for poster presentation in different formats.
• Street furniture families were designed to fit these needs. Over the years they were completed with additional components like restrooms and automatic toilet facilities and kiosks to name a few.
• To finance this infrastructure long-term contracts (10 to 15 years) are signed between cities and outdoor advertising companies.
• Cities are often put in a situation to decide on new concepts when they are not familiar with the issues, since new contracts occur only very seldom. This knowledge gap is closed by a special advisor—the street furniture report.
• This advisor gives cities some independent ideas on how to act in this surrounding (rather than reacting) since public grounds can not be enlarged.

Local significance

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Street furniture itself has become as much a part of many nations' identities as dialects and national events, so much so that one can usually recognise the location by their design; famous examples of this include:

Historical street furniture

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Sidewalk valve for long defunct gas lighting company, in Uptown New Orleans

Since most items of street furniture are of a utilitarian nature, authorities generally keep them up-to-date and replace them regularly (usually to conform to regulations, safety codes, etc.). Because of this, old, outdated, obsolete, or even non-functional street furniture can be rare sights and hold a special fascination and inspire nostalgia for many people.

The Tiergarten park in Berlin has a collection of antique streetlamps from around the world, both gas and electric.

Telecommunication

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Some concealed cell sites disguise the tower with a structure that can fit into street furniture.

Large displays in central streets can provide information, advertise events or products, or warn citizens about potential problems. Interactive displays can show information on key places and monuments and allow parking payments. They can serve as a cell site with low visual impact.

Some cell sites have a structure that make it look pleasant. In this case it is not concealed but highlighted, becoming a part of the street furniture that can be admired by citizens.

The use of power from renewable sources may be a design criterion.

See also

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References

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• Street furniture at Wikimedia Commons

Type of long seat

This article is about seating. For work surfaces, see Workbench and Countertop

A bench is a long seat on which multiple people may sit at the same time. Benches are typically made of wood, but may also be made of metal, stone, or synthetic materials. Many benches have back rests, while others do not and can be accessed from either side. Arm rests are another common feature. In many American public areas, benches may be donated by persons or associations, as indicated by an affixed plaque, a common form of memorial to a deceased person (see memorial bench). Benches may be placed outdoors or indoors, but are more often found outdoors.

Stone bench in Parque de Bateria in Torremolinos, Spain

Types

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A long, curved and backless bench A park bench in the Drottningholm Palace park Benches facing each other in Niagara Falls, Ontario

Often, benches are simply named for the place they are used, regardless of whether this implies a specific design.

• Park benches are set as seating places within public parks, and vary in the number of people they can seat.
• Garden benches are similar to public park benches, but are longer and offer more sitting places.[1]
• Picnic tables, or catering buffet tables, have benches as well as a table. These tables may have table legs which are collapsible, in order to expedite transport and storage.
• Scenic benches are situated to provide a more comfortable means of enjoying the contemplation of a beautiful landscape, a busy street scene, or less commonly a specific event.
• Perch benches are usually situated in high traffic areas to enable people to take a quick break.
• A storage bench is a combination of sitting space and a storage box, often used for keeping gardening supplies or grill equipment.
• A form is a backless bench that was used for seating in dining rooms, school rooms and law courts — can be leather or upholstered fabric with or without a back rest.
• Wooden benches in early railway passenger cars

Various types of benches are specifically designed for and/or named after specific uses, such as:

• Leaning benches, or "leaners", have been installed by some cities for people to rest against in public areas where there is no room for regular benches.[2][3]
• Church benches and pews inside places of worship, which are sometimes equipped with an additional kneeling bench. Church benches and pews can come in various styles including traditional, modern and curved to match and complement the architectural styles and spaces of places of worship.
• a bench seat is a traditional seat installed in automobiles, featuring a continuous pad running the full width of the cabin.
• a punishment bench is used to have a punishee lie (and often be tied) down on for the administration of a corporal punishment, after which it may be specifically named, e.g. caning bench
• a bench (weight training) is used for fitness exercises, such as the bench press which is named after its use of a bench
• a communion bench is not used as a seat
• a piano bench usually offers one person seating, but there are also two-person variants allowing for pair-playing
• a spanking bench, such as a caning bench, is specifically designed for a spankee to lie upon, possibly strapped down, while submitting to paining of the posterior
• swing seats are independently movable, suspended benches, used for play or as a relaxing porch swing.
• Glider Benches are similar to Swing Seats but are not suspended; instead they have a mechanism under the seating area that allows the bench to rock back and forward
• a courting bench (or kissing bench, or tête-à-tête): a two-seater with the seats pointing in opposite directions, thus almost facing each other.
• a buddy bench (or friendship bench) in a school playground is where a child can go when they want someone to talk to.
• the bench in a courtroom, behind which the judge is seated.

Construction materials

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Benches come in a variety of different materials, but there are some venue standards that account for use, durability, and maintenance patterns.

• Adobe: (banco) type benches are made of packed earth often combined with a binder, such as straw. They are found throughout the world in countries that use earth or mud construction techniques, in both outdoor and indoor settings.
• Aluminum: Aluminum benches are often found in outdoor, sideline settings at recreational venues like sports fields or courts and as a complement to bleacher systems. The material affords for a lightweight, corrosive-free bench, so it is a portable and economical option for indoor or outdoor settings.
• Cast iron: early outdoor benches were made of cast iron, Among the earliest in America were produced by the iron foundry Janes, Beebe & Co in the mid-19th century.
• Concrete: Concrete benches are very heavy and are a more permanent furnishing. They are often installed in facilities that are not expected to change or transition often, if at all, such as military bases, state parks and official buildings. Concrete is very durable, so it is appropriate for any climate. Concrete can be composed of many different materials to afford benches different accents, depending on what it is composed of.
• Fiberglass: Fiberglass is a versatile material so fiberglass benches can come in a variety of designs and finishes or colors. The material is great for indoor or outdoor use because it will not corrode or rust, is very low maintenance, and can be manufactured to complement any facility. Common places where fiberglass benches are installed include food courts, restaurants, and office buildings.
• Powder-coated steel: Powder coated steel benches are often found lining entryways for different venues, like retail centers, medical facilities and country clubs. While powder-coat is a common finish on many commercial site furnishings, it is often featured on strap metal benches because of its anti-corrosive qualities and ability to strongly bond to heavy duty steel constructions. Powder-coated benches also come in a variety of colors and designs, from classic strap metal benches to extremely intricate designs.
• Recycled plastic: Recycled plastic benches are low maintenance, available in a variety of colors and styles, and are appropriate for any environment, including typically-corrosive salty, ocean side facilities. Recycled plastic components can vary based on the manufacturer, but it is commonplace that a high percentage is post-consumer material and will contribute to LEED certification. For these reasons, they are commonly found at a wide range of venues, including convention centers, office buildings, universities, retail centers, schools and stadiums.
• Thermoplastic: Thermoplastic is an environmentally friendly coating for metal benches. Thermoplastic benches are very commonplace, located in facilities ranging from schools, parks, recreational spaces and office buildings. The material itself is graffiti resistant and easily repairable, as opposed to other metal coatings and, with a thorough coat, will help a metal bench withstand a variety of climates. There are endless color options and six different common pattern styles: expanded metal, perforated metal, strap style, welded wire, diamond pattern and rod style. Expanded metal is often seen in casual park settings, featuring a lattice-like look while strap style can be commonly featured trail side or embellishing a sidewalk.
• Wood: Wood benches are a very high maintenance option because they need to be regularly treated with an insect repellent or coated with polyurethane or similar coating to maximize the life of the material. They are typically found along walking trails and state parks, while high-quality wood products like teak, redwood and mahogany are commonly found in residential furniture lines, resorts and restaurant settings. Other common lumber furnishing materials include oak and southern yellow pine.

Gallery

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See also

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References

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