Whether it be a community park hosting sporting events or concerts, a small sitting area along a bustling urban streetscape, or a large state park offering trail networks and campsites, the overseers of these spaces seek to attract visitors and make them feel welcome. And site furnishings are an important part of attracting visitors, making them comfortable, and increasing their length of stay.
Outdoor furnishings include benches, tables, trash receptacles, ash urns, bike racks, planters, bollards, grills, drinking fountains, fire rings, bleachers, games, hand sanitizer stations, message centers, and more. And when plans are being made to renovate existing sites or design new ones, furnishings are an important part of the discussion. “Park master plans often include an overall aesthetic guidelines section that informs the architecture style of site furnishings, lighting, signage, etc., and how these elements are cohesive with the intended aesthetics of the park,” said Scott Crawford, principal with RDG Planning & Design.
Doug Fair, principal with Hitchcock Design Group, said it’s important to consider the size and location of spaces to accommodate certain site furnishings or “creature comforts” in the early design stages. “Then focusing more on product and material selection when in final design/technical document preparation. Thinking about what park users might want when using various site furnishings: charging stations/power, shade, lighting, to name a few.”
Amber Dorsey is the customer service supervisor for a Northwood, Iowa-based designer and manufacturer of commercial-grade outdoor furniture, and she said it’s common to assist customers in the planning phase. “Oftentimes, we’re given a plan of what they’d like, and our team… can assist with what we think would make the park functional and easy to maintain, while still looking aesthetically pleasing.”
“We offer all the required files needed for placing our products on plans, and our custom design department works with designers and landscape architects all the time to design products specifically for spaces they’re in the midst of designing,” said Bryan Marousek, director of product design and marketing for a site furnishings manufacturer headquartered in Mifflintown, Pa. He added that this service is free, with no commitment to purchase and no minimum order size.
Leon Younger is president of PROS Consulting Inc., which offers services to parks and recreation systems. He said when it comes to site furnishings, “The architects I work with focus on a consistent color scheme such as black, durability from wear and tear and as much vandalism-proofing as possible, functionality based on the anticipated number and type of users to the park, and replaceability in case they have to change out a (product).” He stressed that manufacturer reputation is important as it applies to access to parts and “follow-through on purchase orders in a timely basis.”
Marousek, who said they’re the “chosen standard” for several large cities, explained that it’s important to pick a manufacturer that intends to offer a product long-term, as you may want to purchase the same product in 10 or 20 years. “If you have 45 benches in a park and one gets hit by a snowplow, you want to be able to buy a new bench or part that matches the rest. (We) offer replacement parts for nearly every product we’ve made in the past 40 years, and many of our most popular products have been sold for over 20 years.”
He said it’s common for a city or parks department to choose a “certain set of several products,” thereby establishing a theme throughout their system. “There are benefits to a city standardizing their bench or receptacles; it simplifies the purchasing, maintenance, and creates a cohesive look.”
Some manufacturers do offer collections, which might include a particular style of bench, picnic table, litter receptacle, and planter, for instance. “While some parks departments mix and match their styles, we do see most parks stick to a certain style throughout their parks system,” said Dorsey.
There are many materials to choose from, including thermoplastic-coated and powder-coated metals, wood, aluminum, recycled plastic, and concrete. “Our (steel) products—including the braces and legs—are completely coated in polyvinyl, which provides a barrier against moisture and environmental elements, preventing our product from rusting,” said Dorsey. “Polyvinyl also enhances the material’s resistance to wear and tear and protects against extreme weather conditions like rain, snow and UV rays.” She said the furnishings can be wiped down with mild soap and water. “For a deeper clean you can use a power washer or hose, followed by a bleach-free disinfectant.”
When choosing a furniture material, some considerations include intended use, climate, maintenance requirements, and aesthetic preferences. Marousek’s company offers a variety of materials, which he said can all be long-lasting and durable, and he shared some thoughts on different options. With plastic, choosing one that’s 100% HDPE (high-density polyethylene) ensures that at the end if its lifespan it can be turned back into another product. “Co-mingled products are harder to recycle; HDPE is typically what milk jugs and laundry containers are made of, so you know the lumber you get can be completely or partially recycled material.”
With wood products, he noted that without maintenance, “all wood will turn gray. Some woods require more maintenance than others. If you’re OK with the gray, there are woods and modified woods that perform very well with little to no maintenance. They do come with a higher initial cost but perhaps a lower cost over their lifetime.”
He pointed out that modified woods like Thermally Modified Red Oak perform very similar to ipe and teak outdoors but are far more sustainable and grown domestically.
“Metal furniture can last a very long time with maintenance; think about how long our metal ships and bridges last because they’re maintained,” said Marousek. “The most crucial part of a piece of metal furniture is the powder coat. If something does happen to the powder coat it’s important that any oxidation is cleaned off and the spot is touched up with touch-up paint.” He suggested that setting up a biannual or annual maintenance schedule to “check on all your products is the best practice.”
In St. Charles, Ill., Laura Rudow is deputy director and superintendent of parks and planning for the St. Charles Park District. She said that when it comes to choosing a consistent style or collection for their park furnishings, it just depends. “If the location lends itself to a particular design style, such as Pottawatomie Park (a large, older and well-utilized destination), then the furnishings there would be different than a general, neighborhood park.
“For the most part—in terms of being consistent and branding ourselves—we have a set bench, garbage can, drinking fountain, and shelter that we use in neighborhood park applications and specifically spec in our bids,” said Rudow. She offered an example of a location where they didn’t follow their norm: Baker Memorial Park, which is situated downtown. “It’s a passive park yet highly visible. We had a real opportunity to make a splash with color and design and went off script. The results were awesome—we were going for a ‘garden park in Paris’ sort of look.”
When it comes to material selection, Rudow said they do have certain types they prefer. “The way a product not only lasts, but maintains its aesthetic is very important; that is how we settled on the products we did. Benches are recycled plastic that don’t warp, fade, or need painting. The garbage cans and memorial benches are spec’d to be powder coated for the same reasons.” She said they’ve had great luck with their manufacturer, “and the ability to pick out colors and customize each one for different parks has served us well.”
Rudow pointed out that other than in Baker Memorial Park, “we never use red in anything if we can help it as it just doesn’t hold up to sun fade and looks pink a few years in.”
And when it comes to choosing furnishings that are most resistant to vandalism, she said it’s a balance. “The more vandal-proof it is, the more it looks like it should be installed at the Department of Corrections and not a park. One example where vandal-proof remains appropriate are the picnic tables that have (a) mesh top for the table and seats. They are metal, won’t light on fire and you can’t write on them with a sharpie.”
Memorial benches—typically featuring a personalized plaque—have become very popular, as a way to honor or remember individuals and groups, and Rudow said they have hundreds of memorial benches and trees throughout the community. “It is a nice way to add to the park system at no cost to us.”
Dorsey said their memorial benches and tables have increased in popularity in recent years, and explained that the purchasing process depends on the parks department. “We do have parks that reach out directly to us and do the purchasing, and in other instances customers receive prior approval and purchase through us directly.”
Dorsey said their customized lettered benches are also “on an upward trend, and we foresee more customized benches upcoming this year.”
Marousek agreed that “Customizing a product to showcase your park, city, or company’s name is very common, and there are many ways to do it. The most common method is with a plaque placed on the product, but some products offer the ability to laser-cut a design, logo, or name right into the metal the product is made of.”
He said labels are another method but are less durable than other options. “With a few of our products we can even cast a name right into the sand-cast supporting leg of the product. Additionally, some areas will use custom powder coat colors to show off their city or team pride.”
Continuous and curved benches are another option, which might be used to wrap around trees, for example. And while some manufacturers only offer certain curve radiuses, according to Marousek, “all the curved benches we make are made to fit the curve or length requirements specified by the designer or landscape architect.” He said their most popular curved bench series comes in wood, recycled plastic, or steel seating surfaces. “The series has a simple, clean aesthetic that allows it to fit into nearly any space. It’s designed to be customized, which means the design of the product allows us to draw the custom product quickly and manufacture it at an approachable price point.”
Bench swings are also on the rise. “The bench swings have really increased in popularity over the last several years and have increased in park sites,” said Dorsey. “The great thing about the swings is they appeal to a broad range of visitors and are often located in a beautiful scenic area.”
The ubiquitous drinking fountain has also come a long way. Choose from stainless steel, concrete, or enameled iron, pedestal or wall-mounted. There are dual-height versions, pet fountains, and water bottle filling stations. Electric sensors allow some versions to be used hands-free. Refrigerated fountains dispense chilled water, and freeze-resistant valve system assemblies allow some models to be used year-round. Many fountains are designed to be vandal-resistant.
“For the last few years, anytime we replace or add a drinking fountain, we put in a model that has a regular, ADA and dog bowl fountain all in one,” said Rudow. “Those are very well received. So are the new outdoor bottle fillers; we have these in a couple parks as well.”
The good old bicycle rack continues to evolve, as well, with many new versions featuring creative, artsy designs and powder coat finishes in all kinds of colors. Custom logos are offered, and there are animals, hearts, smiley faces, coffee cups, and yes—bicycles. But quality racks should also securely mount to the ground, support the bike in two places to avoid tipping over, allow for locking both the frame and wheel to the rack, and resist cutting, bending, and deformation by common hand tools.
Bike maintenance stations are popular, according to Rudow, featuring pumps, a universal bike mount peg, and tools including tire levers, screw drivers, wrenches, and hex keys on retractable steel cables. She said they’ve installed six stations in the district with another one going in as part of a renovation of a park that links to a couple of local trails.
And what about permanent park grills and charcoal bins for discarding hot coals? “We have them at Pottawatomie Park, and they are very well utilized,” said Rudow. She mentioned installing one in another park that’s surrounded by multi-family housing. “I thought if you lived in the nearby complex and you wanted to have a birthday party, it’s hard to do when you live in an apartment. (So) you could do it in the shelter—grill and safely dispose of your hot coals.”
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a nonprofit with a mission to “create parks and protect public land.” Caroline O’Boyle is their associate vice president, Illinois state director, and in her previous roles with the Chicago Park District and City of Chicago she worked with neighborhood organizations and participated in park building projects. She pointed out that people who reside next to a park may have different points of view on what park amenities might be best, so it’s important to ask some questions.
“Are benches a good thing to have in a park, or will it encourage loitering that’s undesirable?” asked O’Boyle. “So how can you design the seating in a way that provides the amenities that park users are looking for but that don’t contribute to some of the more undesirable issues? Is the lighting going to be bright enough to illuminate the space but not so bright that it interferes with the wildlife? Do you even want trash receptacles in your park, because if you have them there you have to empty them, and do you have the operational budget to do so?”
O’Boyle said there are a lot of considerations like this that are important to both the users of the park and the neighbors of the park, and that’s part of what TPL and others delve into. “We try to stay away from good and bad, but we try to lay out what the possibilities are; how can you accommodate the positive uses that you want to encourage without attracting things that may not be so welcome? If your house butts up against a park, it’s going to impact your life. In general, property values increase the closer you live to a park, but we have to build them in a way that takes into consideration everyone’s needs.”
One thing everyone agrees on is that time spent outdoors is a big positive when it comes to people’s physical and mental health. And site furnishings can be a part of the equation when it comes to providing some of those creature comforts that may help attract visitors and encourage them to stick around a little longer. “I’ve always thought that a bench welcomes people to a space”, said Marousek. “‘Have a seat, you are welcome here, relax and stay awhile if you would like.’ Google ‘relaxing image’ and you’ll see a lot of images of outdoor spaces with seats or benches.” RM