Benches, chairs and other commercial site furnishings play a huge role in overall functionality when outfitting a college campus, restaurant, City Square, bus stop, business courtyard, and etc.
TerraCast Products has built a reputation on durable, long-lasting and beautiful site furnishings that far and beyond outlast the competition.
We accomplish this by using a specially made resin blend mix to create non-porous products that do not rust, corrode, or chip, and are highly durable against impact damage. As a result, you will find our products all across the country, including the well known placement in New York City’s Times Square.
How To Select The Right Commercial Sight Furnishings For Your Project
Depending on the particular project you are outfitting, there are different site furnishings that rank of utmost importance. The overall mission is to personalize site furnishings to the location at hand. For instance, if you are outfitting a residential care facility it’s not only important to supply plenty of seating, but it should be in collective groups so that residents have the opportunity to socialize. On the other hand, if you only provide individualized seating you prevent group communication and create a more isolated and unhappy living environment.
Site furnishings have a lot of pull in overall functionality of a space. Here’s a look at a few common sites that require particular attention to the type and actual placement of site furnishings.
Residential Care Facilities
As mentioned above, residential care facilities should include plenty of seating to encourage residents to socialize and become a part of the action. Ideal spots to include seating are near the entrance and main hall where the majority of action takes place.
When planning seating for a nursing home or assisted living facility it’s important to plan for elderly and handicapped patients. That means incorporating chairs and benches with fully supportive backs and handgrips. Also, it’s important to avoid bucket seats, as these are difficult for elderly patients to get out of.
Don’t forget to provide adequate clearance and access for wheelchairs and walkers around all site furnishings.
Place site furnishings in the shade to keep the elderly out of the sun and protect their skin.
Office Courtyards
An office courtyard provides a space for employees to gather and enjoy breaks. The appearance of an office courtyard sends a message to everyone that works in the building, the nicer the courtyard the more appreciated employees feel.
It’s important to provide some single seating, but don’t forget to incorporate group seating as well. Moveable chairs are an excellent option in order to give people more freedom to sit where they want.
Make sure that cigarette receptacles and ‘smoking areas’ are a good distance away from main seating areas to prevent non-smokers from avoiding the area all together.
Rooftop Gardens
A rooftop courtyard or garden is an ideal way to escape the buzz of the city below. The roof provides the best view in the house, and offers a world of additional square footage to work with. Restaurants, residential complexes, office buildings and many other types of buildings have already added rooftop courtyards that patrons, residents and employees love.
Keep in mind that the actual roof must be strong enough to withstand this sort of development, something only a professional engineer should approve. A roof top garden is heavy, and the roof must be able to support this weight in order to be considered safe.
Next, the actual roof membrane needs to be properly protected to avoid damage.
The roof is going to get a lot of wind, which is why all chairs, tables and other site furnishings should be properly secured in place. Otherwise, a chair blown down from a rooftop could easily harm a passing pedestrian below. Not to mention, it’s pretty expensive to routinely re-buy furniture if yours keeps blowing away.
Restaurant Seating
An outdoor patio at a restaurant must offer ample space to patrons so that they feel comfortable. One great way to separate tables and provide a more intimate feel is to place narrow planters between tables. Just be careful to avoid creating a jam-packed space that makes it difficult for people to walk around.
Choose lightweight tables and chairs that can be easily moved inside or stacked and locked outdoors.
Lightweight tables and chairs are important but they must be sturdy enough to withstand a lot of wear and tear. Site furnishings must also accommodate any and all weights, as well as patrons that may try leaning back in their chair or even jumping on it—you just never know! This is why commercial grade furniture is so important.
Public Transportation Stops
If you are outfitting a public transportation hub, such as a bus stop, it’s important to provide ample seating for everyone waiting. You could even create a two-dimensional waiting area so that multiple groups can wait comfortably in the same space.
Instead of creating group seating, you want to focus on non-social seating arrangements in order to make the most out of the space. Design benches so that they face out towards the street so that passengers can see when their bus arrives.
Don’t forget to add easy to access trashcans and any necessary information kiosks.
Pick site-furnishing materials that can withstand a lot of damage. For instance, the resin-based non-porous materials we use for site furnishings are resistant to graffiti and impact damage.
Getting Creative With Commercial Site Furnishings
There are a lot of terminology and guidelines surrounding appropriate site furnishings. Hence, why so many public spaces look exactly the same. All of these regulations are incredibly helpful in terms of creating functional spaces but don’t let terminology get in the way of your creative edge. There’s room for innovative designs in every industry.
If you have a unique idea don’t be afraid to go with it. BUT… it’s important to do the research and conduct focus groups prior to simply implementing the idea. This helps ensure you don’t waste money on dysfunctional site furnishings people avoid or dislike.
Regardless if you are looking to get creative or just follow standard procedures, TerraCast Products is happy to help supply the longest latest site furnishings in the industry, guaranteed by our limited 10-year warranty.
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