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Product and Ideas for Public Space

Category: Flower Pot

Snugplay at Denver’s Meet in the Streets

Snugplay Interactive Play Elements

Snugplay Interactive Play Elements

This past weekend Streetscapes Inc. set up a demonstration play zone  at Denver’s Meet in the Streets.  Meet in the Street is being used as a planning tool by the Downtown Denver Partnership, RTD and Denver Parks to identify potential ways to engage Denver residents and visitors along Denver’s 16th Street Mall.

Our demonstration project featured four distinct zones –  a kid play space using large interactive play elements from SnugPlay and an imbarimba ( a musical instrument from Freenote Harmony), – two seating areas located on the edge of the play areas ( a Rune bench, a custom surfer bench and a North Lakes bench), – folding tables and chairs (Original Bistro) and two Pillow chairs under shade canopies for resting, relaxing and refreshments and a bean bag toss game for anyone interested. The seating area was completed with the K-base and Milk casual seating. The area was bordered with two Wilshire fiberglass planters and two Urban fiberglass planter filled with Toto Lemon Rudbeckia, Crocosmia Lucifer and Veronica sunny Border Blue perennials.

The large interactive play elements used in the play zone were a hit with both kids and adults. The youngest kids to play in the area were 14 months old. The oldest were the adults who either played with their kids or reverted back to their own childhoods. We had several families that visited the play area both days bringing additional family and friends along.  Here’s part of several conversations that we overhead in the play zone – Mom.. Justin it’s time to go.  Justin … Why?

The Imbarimba were played by a wide spectrum of age groups that included kids, teens and adults, individually and as groups. Wheel chair bound visitors managed to get some riff’s in too. Some musicians played for a few seconds, others for minutes at a time.

The bean bag boards had a  variety of gamers – both kids and adults.  Some who  were avid players, other that were just beginners. However, the combination of players were exciting to watch – fathers and sons, mothers and daughter, women and men; husbands and wives, girl friends and male friends. Some kids tossed the bags into the game board from a feet away.

Visitors to Meet in the Streets used the shade canopies and seating area to catch their breath, take a break from the 90+ degree weather, hold conversations with friends and watch the bean bag game competition.  Having seating on the edge of the play area allowed parents to watch their kids play, visit with friends, check their email and just relax.

The fiberglass planters and flowers were an experiment on our behalf to create an additional point of interest.  We specifically chose the  Crocosmia Lucifer because of it’s unique appearance. We wanted to determine if anyone would notice.  The experiment was a resounding success.  Visitor along the mall did notice the plants. Many visitors shot photos of the flowers or copied information from attached plant cards

Based on feedback from Meet in the Street visitors and the kids who got upset about leaving the play zone, our play zone was an unqualified success.

Flower Pot Materials

Boulevard Planter System

Commercial grade flower pots and planters are usually available in five different materials – concrete, fiberglass, GFRC, thermoplastic and wood. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Concrete planters are made of concrete cement. Concrete plant pots are excellent for use in applications where durability and longevity is important. They require minimal maintenance and can double as security barrier. In high wind zones and coastal areas, concrete planters are the planters of choice.

Fiberglass flowerpots are made of glass fibers in single or multiple layers of chop strand mat that is held together with polyester resins. Gel coating is added to the fibers and resins and the process is completed by coating the planter pots with polyurethane enamel or ??

Fiberglass planter pots are ideal for interior and exterior applications and the material of choice for decks, roof gardens and balconies where weight is issue. Created using form shaped molds, customized or creative fiberglass planter may be configured into unusual shapes, styles and sizes.

Glass fiber reinforced concrete – GFRC – flower containers are made with Portland cement, glass fibers, sand; water and a combination of color and polymer curing additives. The interior of GFRC flower receptacles are dampproofed while their exterior may be sealed or unsealed depending on the specified finish.

GFRC flower pots weight approximately 1/3 the weight of concrete planters but provide the heft and scale that is expected in large outdoor projects. GFRC planters share many different style in common with fiberglass planters.

Thermoplastic flower receptacles are made of rotationally molded low linear density polyethylene and contain ultra-violet inhibitors to prevent cracking and crazing. The lightweight pots are easy to handle during installation and durable enough to move around without chipping or breaking. Outdoor thermoplastic pot are value priced and are easy customizable in large quantities.

Traditional wood planter boxes usually consist of containers or boxes made with wood planks. In a break with tradition, commercial grade Boulevard wood planterboxes consist of an inner waterproof fiberglass liner wrapped with an outer layer of environmentally friendly and sustainable thermally modified wood. The sustainable wood is resistant to decay, twisting and warping and it designed to last for 25+ years of service.

In applications where traditional wood plank planters would be placed in-line end to end, against a wall or in corners, the Boulevard planter system allows one to select the planter sides that should contain wood panels. This feature can significantly impact planter and project costs without reducing the associated visual impact.

To view commercial grade outdoor planters, visit Streetscapes Inc.

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Flower Pots and Planters

Olimpo Planter Bench

Olimpo Planter Bench

Planters also known as flower pots, plant pots and plant containers will soon make their appearance as winter fades away and spring begins to emerge.   Flowers, grasses, vegetable and other cultivated plants will establish their roots within their respective plant pots to produce captivating colors and delicious foods.

Historically, flowerpots were made of terra cotta or clay.  Today terra cotta and clay pots  are still available cast stone, concrete, fiberglass; gfrc (glass fiber reinforced concrete) and lightweight thermoplastics are the standard for public spaces and streetscapes  .  In sustainability circles, flower boxes covered in reclaimed or sustainable woods are also popular.

In the period during which terra cotta and clay flower pots were popular,  round pots were probably the norm.  However flowerpots are available today in a wide variety of standard configurations – rectangle or rectangular, round and square as well as a variety of geometric designs.  Popular planter models are available in a wide variety of heights that range between standard, tall, low and giant sizes.

Although large, extra large or giant planter pots are available to accommodate the scale of large public space projects, they are usually fabricated as custom planters.  Planters of unusual shapes or planters designed for site specific effect are usually custom as well.

Historically,  terra cotta and clay flower pots were made and sold by cast which related to the number of pots that could be made in a given day. Although we don’t refer to the casting sizes much today, the size of the flower pot still determines how quickly they can be made and shipped.  Large planters Continue reading