Public Space Fanatic – Page 2 – Product and Ideas for Public Space

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On and Off Street Bike Parking

Aspen Bike Shelter

On and off street bike parking is definitely on the rise. Along with the rise in bike parking, there’s an interest in more creative and interesting bike racks. Along main street, inverted U hoop rack were the default standard. Fast forward today, we’re seeing cycle racks that create words and phrases, promote café’s and restaurants brands, brand shopping districts and market museums.

In the early stages of on-street bike parking, multiple hoop racks were combined via u-channel rails to create freestanding bike corrals. The desire to create bike parking that was more interesting led to bicycle corrals designed to look like cars, later fish and now you can let your imagine run wild. On street bike parking once again has transformed it’s self into more interesting objects – a string of bike looking bike racks, paper clips and other interesting objects.

One tool in the off street bicycle parking equation that has been missing is the combination of bike corrals and bike shelters. Cyclists are interested in the combination, but finding pre-engineered shelters designed for the urban environment can be tricky. The current bike shelter offerings tend to be bulky and un-inspired and their limited sizes can be a challenge.

But the Aspen, Pergola and Vizor pre-fabricated bike shelters may be changing that scenario. All three shelters have contemporary urban aesthetics. The Aspen and Pergola feature woodgrain aluminum powder coating that is quite suitable for upscale communities and historic districts. The Vizor stands out as a beacon of architectural design.

Another option that appear to have limited interest but could double or triple the amount of bike parking in high-density bike parking areas is the marriage of vertical and two tier bike parking systems with bike sheds. Vertical bike storage is being used extensively in apartments, condominiums and offices but has had limited success in other environments. Many standard bike shelters on the market will accommodate vertical bike parking.

On and off street bike parking is very much in demand.

Self Watering Planter Irrigation Systems

February 18, 2016 / psf88 / Comments Off

self-watering-planter-irrigation-system Streetscape planters and city flower pots located in public plazas and right of ways have a problem. The flower pots are planted in the spring with the hope of adding color, texture and greenery to an otherwise dull looking street. However, unless they’re provided with an ample supply of water during the growing season that won’t happen.

Flowers planted in a plant pot without an irrigation system are at the mercy of volunteers or an irrigation service company. Volunteers are not alway dependable and lose interest over time. Irrigation services are expensive if you can find them. High local temperature swings compound the issue. A possible solution – retrofit existing planters with an internal water wicking irrigation system or consider a planters system similar to the Seacrest planter collection.

The system consist of a water reservoir(s), a sensor, a water tube for filling the reservoir and an overflow tube that is placed over the flowerpot drain hole.

To retrofit an existing planter with a wicking irrigation system, remove the existing soil and install the wicking irrigation system. Refill the planter with soil, fill the water reservoir with water and prime the system to get the process started. Once the system is working, Add plants and let the growing season begin.

Moving forward, the water wicking irrigation system in each planter pot will require new water only once every two to four weeks depending on your location. The overflow tube will drain any excess water. Here’s a water wicking flower pot irrigation system at work.

The planter water wicking irrigation system is available in three different configurations. A retrofit kit systems to accommodate rectangle, round, square planters in standard planter sizes. A round and square edge back modular version for large or unusual shaped planters. And a self contained water wicking planters with the irrigation reservoirs built into the planter walls. The self contained planter are available in rectangle, round and square shapes.

Get a jump start on the upcoming growing season by installing self water wicking planter systems today.

Super Bowl 50

February 15, 2016 / psf88 / Comments Off

The Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. Go Broncos. The Super Bowl is all about branding and advertising. There’s the NFL brand, the company brands hosting special events leading up to the big game, the big game itself and all of the new television ads associated with the Super Bowl.

Let’s take a look at some branding ideas that can be used year round to promote your brand.

1. Send your potential customers a message with typerider bike racks. Use characters, symbols and numbers to deliver a message that will be seen everyday. Heighten your brand awareness by using standard or custom colors on the bike racks for heighten visibility.

2. Take almost any hoop, loop, circle or inverted u style bike rack, add a logo and your brand is visible 24-7.

3. Artistic bike racks featuring unique or site specific branding is another option. Create designs to support district identities or retail product groups. Let your imagination go wild with designs that feature animals, products and ideas.

Build brand awareness, team spirit or just keep you brand in the public eye by adding logos, mascots and images to public site furnishing. Benches, trash cans, recycling stations and planters can become simple brand reminders. Your logo can be laser cut, engraved or attached to metal, concrete or sustainable composites.

The super bowl happens only once a year, but your brand can work for you year round.

Flower Pots and Planters

February 12, 2016 / psf88 / Comments Off

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

Hello world!

February 6, 2016 / psf88 / Comments Off

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