Draffin Street Furniture has a long-standing relationship with the City of Knox.
This time they approached us with a project to design and manufacture new street furniture for the main street in Upper Ferntree Gully.
The idea behind the upgrade was to liven the area up, making it more accessible to visitors of the Dandenongs, thus increasing trade in this gateway town.
The design elements that inspire this collection of street furniture echo the spirit and appearance of the sawmills that used to be in operation all over this side of the mountain to supply Melbourne and its surrounds with their timber products.
City of Knox Landscape Architects developed concepts for each piece of furniture to fit into the overall project. A lot needs to be taken into consideration.
When considering the right design and specification for public space furniture, there are a number of factors that will determine what design elements are required, such as environment, application, purpose, intent and budget. The Draffin engineering team worked closely with the City of Knox to detail these factors and concepts into working designs ready for manufacture. This process also fleshes out any problems turning these designs into a physical form.
The Furniture
Seats with backrest
Skirted in weathering steel, the seats have large battens made from native Spotted Gum, and the armrests are finished in a textured powdercoat that mimics the appearance of weathered steel.
Where the natural look and feel of real timber is preferred, Draffin Street Furniture recommend Spotted Gum. This extremely dense and durable timber is sourced from FSC Certified plantations – making it an environmentally responsible choice. Our experience has proven that beautiful timber lasts the test of time in Australia’s harsh outdoor conditions. Draffin apply Intergrain Ultradeck coating to all timber to further enhance both the look of the timber, and its durability.
Some of the seats in the main areas were to be inset mounted into large planter beds bordered by the same Corten steel material that skirts the bases of the seats. Once this material weathers enough, the look will become uniform, completing the appearance of the area.
Bike Rails
A few bespoke bike rails were added to the project to enhance the streets appeal. Spotted gum uprights with a stainless steel bar, finished off with a stainless steel laser cut bike sign to give the piece a luxurious look.
Drinking Fountains
This all stainless steel drinking fountain is a standard product in the Draffin Street Furniture product range. Inground mounted, this one has the bottle filler bubbler and drain optioned. When fully optioned the drinking fountain has a dog bowl mounted in the base also.
Upper Ferntree Gully has never looked so good now the town has its own custom furniture. Upgraded parking and new pedestrian areas have made a big difference to the look and feel of the area.
Custom street furniture is part of what we do at Draffin Street Furniture. We make the processes of design through to delivery easy. Chat with our experienced sales staff to get your project off the ground.