The Brief
We have been chosen by The City of Sydney to design and document two pieces of street furniture: a water bubbler and a park bench suitable for 5 adults. These are to be placed within one of the city's 10 village precincts.
About the Client
The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the CBD and surrounding suburbs. It’s the oldest and longest surviving local government authority in NSW. They provide services for over 200,000 residents and 20,000 businesses. On any given day, there can be more than 1 million people in the area.
The Location
The selected location is the CBD and Harbour area. Within this area we have selected the Darling Quarter in the Darling Harbour precinct because of its rapid growth and rich industrial history. It's also within walking distance from plenty of great food, many workplaces and only 8 minutes walk from Wynyard Station.
Sustainability Strategies
Sustainability is a key part of this project. It is something that is becoming increasingly relevant in all areas of design as we start to realise how limited our resources really are.
The final design aims to use as little material as possible to achieve the desired form and finish while still creating something that has the ability to stand up against the test of time, enduring Sydney's hot weather and occasional big storms. The design will not be able to stand up to people jumping on it as Sydney has strong lockout laws and as fun is banned, this will not be necessary.
Design Style
I've chosen to work in a minimal yet functional design language that aims to blend in seamlessly with the urban environment around it. Concrete and wood are two prominent materials seen throughout surrounding structures and I've decided to continue this style.
I've also researched a number of benches around the selected area. The data from these has been collated and used as a reference in concepts. This helps to decide scale, form and some ergonomics.
Initial Sketches and Ideation
I explored a broad range of concepts initially before further refining and ultimately selecting a final design. Some of these concepts were modelled to get a better sense of size, scale and proportion.
Design and Safety Requirements
It's important to ensure that all parts of the final selected design will conform to a number of requirements. These include the technical specifications defined by The City of Sydney, Australian Safety Standards and other general safety principles and frameworks.
Bench Concepts
Bubbler Concepts
Concept Renders
