Urban SF were asked to bring to life Publica architects’ vision for a planting scheme in keeping with the local style of buildings and local materials. The products had to be easily maintainable and in movable sections without looking like they were just generic items which had been dropped into the streetscape.
Modern shopping areas are required to be much more reactive than in the past and need to be able to keep up with changes to tenancy, footfall and uses. The existing planting scheme was a generic series of simple black containers which were showing signs of deterioration, due to difficulties in maintaining them. They also lacked flexibility as there was no way to move them without removal of the plants and soil.
This project was all about the small details, we worked extensively with the client on the final dimensions to fit within a complex set of pavement restrictions and the key requirement for maximising the café seating space. While keeping seems joint lines and interfaces and maintaining installation and maintenance flexibility.
Using our engineering forward approach, we developed a structural system which allowed for individually replaceable timber coping, decorative outer panels and trims to the floor. Which can all be service without emptying of the containers. The planters’ modular sections can also be moved in individual section for street works and maintenance but fixed using hidden linkages to still look like a singular planter. Each section has a reinforced base with fork pockets, so they can be picked up and moved without emptying, using standard plant equipment.
The planters are fully made of stainless steel, so they last as long as possible, and are finished in high quality powder coating to the client’s colour specification. They feature FSC certified hardwood timber trims, treated with non-toxic wood preserving oils.
The high end aesthetic of the local area meant that attention to detail was very important to the clients, making use of off the shelf corrugated materials to keep costs manageable for the client meant that detailed work was required to make sure the continuity of the patten between panel sections.
The six completed bespoke street planters with custom corrugated cladding panels and hardwood coping were installed by Urban SF and levelled to match the complex falls across the paving, using trims to fill the gap to the floor which were made from measurements taken on site. We achieved the desired aesthetic and finishes as well as the modularity and movability requirements, specified by the project architects. Improving the overall aesthetic of this important area of retail and hospitality.