STreet furniture

The Tunnel Undercover Seating Arrangement

This seating arrangement intended to be designed for Strathfield Square tackling the issue of the public being defecated on by birds at certain times of the day. My design solution is to create a undercover seating arrangement in which people may sit down and enjoy the nature in Strathfield Square such as the sun, trees, the fountain and even the birds. Since this area is such a nature filled area the design must reflect nature and be able to blend in with a natural environment. This design uses wood as frames and the seat for the natural aesthetics and will be covered with a clear Perspex shell, which will protect the public from birds defecating in the area. This has a visual appeal which encourages the public to use this design and visit the area more frequently as the area is more appealing due to the new bench designs and also there will be a significant decrease in the chance of being defecated on. Below is two interview held at the location

Questions

1.     do you visit this place often and if so are u satisfied with this area?

2.     If not then what sort of problem have you had and how might you change them

3.     In which way do you use this place for

4.     How do you think this place can change into a place which will invite more of the public to come and get involved in the community

Strathfield square

Interview one 22f

1.yes very often

nice place to meet people landmark

2. no sort of problem nice area nothing much to change

very outdoor and nature like

3. meeting people drink coffee kill time

4. more seats

interview two 28 (looked like in the 30s)m

1.     yes often just passing by from station to plaza

2.     very noisy at sunset due to birds, been defecated once not enough seats

3.      pass through landmark to meet people (fountain)

4.     maybe undercover seating as meeting point

Other locations include Belmore Park in Central, located in the heart o Sydney’s CBD its is a spot of natural beauty and the design of the seating arrangement will appeal to officeworkers to stop and take a short break enjoying nature in their everyday busy lives. The third location is Bicentennial Park in Sydney Olympic Park, it is a beautiful place with a waterview and the current park benches are not in concept with the park and the industrial aesthetics of a aluminium bench does not go well with a natural park, hence my design will compliment the park with the natural aesthetics of my designed undercover park bench.

In Strathfield the current benches are cleaned often due to the amount of defecation on the benches, however with my design cleaning the bird defecation become easier as only the roof needs to be sprayed down with a mixture of soapy warm water instead of careful scrubbing on the benches making sure they don’t scratch the paint of the benches. Also vandalism and graffiti is also a major issue in designing public furnitures, and large flat surfaces are an invitation of vandals. However the issue of vandalism can not be overcome easily. Instead of trying to get rid of vandalism making the cleanup easier is the goal of my design. As much as large flat surfaces are invitations to vandals it is also easier to clean graffiti. And it can be cleaned once a week with a mixture of turpentine and water which will easily wipe off the graffiti. This can be done at the same time as when the roof is cleaned. This design also provides shelter against the weather such as rain. As Strathfield Square is a thoroughfare from Strathfield Station to Strathfield Plaza many people walk past and in raining weather can act as a refuge against the weather. Also when the birds gather and become very loud the roof can also act as a sound barrier making it easier to have conversation with the people next to you.

Various materials can be used for this design if taking a ecological approach this design can be made from recycled/ reclaimed timber which are sold at many places with the outer cover being made from Perspex. Or to be mass manufactured it can be made from any timber from timber farms or even aluminum that has been wood grain anodized which is not ideal as it is not environmentally friendly with all the powder coating processes.

Therefore this design is versatile and can be placed in any parks as it has a natural aesthetic design and can be manufactured in different method to suit the situation or client.  It is visually harmonious with the surrounding environment and considers many other aspect of design.