Why modular street furniture systems are becoming more popular

When you are considering the most effective approach to the street furniture design and specification for outdoor public spaces, there is no shortage of options in terms of styles, colours, form and materials. But one of the most important factors to think about at an early stage is whether you choose standard range products, completely bespoke products or a modular street furniture system.

There are advantages to all three approaches, but modular street furniture is increasingly becoming the go-to solution for developers, site owners and landscape architects for a wide variety of reasons. This is reflected in the rapid growth of this sector in recent years, with several exciting and innovative modular street furniture systems being developed by internationally renowned designers, many of which are available in the UK from Bailey Street Furniture Group (BSFG).

What are modular street furniture systems?

When equipping an outdoor space to ensure it meets the desired usage and accessibility objectives, decisions will usually need to be made about products such as seating, benches, planters, litter bins, cycle parking and even elements such as canopies where sheltered areas are required.

Modular systems bring some or all these elements under a single range, purpose designed for consistency and easy integration into spaces to meet the required aesthetic goals. Modularity means, therefore, street furniture that is designed and manufactured in smaller parts or modules which can be combined to meet the brief.

What are the benefits of modular street furniture systems?

In short, modular street furniture systems can provide greater flexibility, cost-effectiveness and sustainability benefits versus standard range and bespoke alternatives, allowing urban planners to create dynamic and adaptable public spaces. This is primarily because these systems use interchangeable units that can be configured in various ways to suit different needs and environments – a standard design platform that can be tailored accordingly.

Extensive design and creative possibilities

Multi-functional design - One of the biggest advantages of modular systems is the ability to tailor the specification of products without the need to commission bespoke solutions. That means features can be integrated into individual street furniture units with ease. For, example, seating units can incorporate matching planters, benches can include power outlets and device-charging ports and canopies can include lighting.

An example of how this can benefit projects is Brunswick Park at the University of Manchester. Here, BSFG was tasked with providing a tailored modular solution for seating in an attractive park setting. This took the form of the Cobra Bench, which was chosen due to its modular form and contemporary take on the traditional timber bench design, with additional requests accommodated by BSFG. These included non-standard backrests and armrests, along with FSC Iroko timber to match elements used elsewhere on the scheme.

Unlocking creative potential - With many of the leading systems, standardised modular components are designed to be combined in numerous ways. As a result, unique and aesthetically pleasing spaces can be created using modular systems without the higher costs and longer lead times associated with fully bespoke products.

An excellent example of this is the Cubik range by leading Italian street furniture manufacturer City Design. Available from the Bailey Streetscene division of BSFG, this is a collection of modular cube-shaped elements that are designed to be joined together, composed of folded steel sheet bases, to which seats are mechanically attached. Seats can be complemented by planters and tables for easy construction of eye-catching street furniture arrangements, with the scope for use in outdoor spaces as well as for indoor applications.

Better utilisation of space - In projects where standard street furniture products cannot accommodate the needs of the site due to incompatible sizes – too large or too small – modular street furniture can often provide the solution because it can often be configured with L-shaped elements, or products that can be connected to form continuous arrangements.

An excellent example of this is the new CIRCUS range from renowned Danish manufacturer out-sider. This provides the opportunity to create dynamic and circular social seating in public spaces in a modular form that offers the scope to build varying levels in height as well as extend laterally. This range will be available in the UK from BSFG in the new year.

Scope for layout flexibility and adaptability - Modular units can be rearranged easily, or expanded where availability of the range permits, to suit the changing needs of an outdoor space. That means, for example, that modular seating can often be configured differently or even moved to a new location on the site, such as for the addition of new facilities on the site or a temporary change of use to accommodate a large public gathering or festival. It can also be scaled relatively easily to provide more seating and other facilities as the site’s usage increases.

Supply chain and project management advantages

Streamlined design and manufacturing -As with all off-site construction approaches, modular street furniture components are manufactured to a tested and refined design. This means products are produced to a consistent quality in a significantly reduced manufacturing timeframe versus custom-made street furniture solutions without necessarily compromising creativity in the project.

Shorter lead times - The standardised nature of the modules means less time is required for planning, manufacturing and installation. That means the extended time frame normally involved with bespoke products, largely due to the extra design process and the sourcing of non-standard materials or components, is avoided, helping projects meet tight deadlines.

Creating more sustainable outdoor spaces

Reduced maintenance over lifetime installation - One of the major benefits that modular systems have to clients responsible for the management of the outdoor space is that single modules or sections can be replaced more easily if they become damaged. This saves time, labour and material costs over the furniture's lifespan.

Whole life benefits - When one unit of a modular street furniture assembly becomes damaged, it can be repaired with relative ease. By enabling the replacement of individual parts or units, modular systems minimise waste by avoiding the need to dispose of an entire group of furniture due to localised damage.

This is beneficial from a carbon cost perspective over the service life of the street furniture, reducing waste and the emissions associated with total replacement and providing an extended lifespan.

Choose more eco-friendly materials - As with many types of street furniture, modular systems are often manufactured using more environmentally sustainable materials. The CIRCUS range, for example, is formed using a PE (polyethylene) base which contains up to 93% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable up to seven times, along with an HPL top manufactured from 100% recycled content.

However, there may also be the opportunity to tailor the specification of modular systems further to achieve sustainability goals. This could include choosing optional materials designed to extend the lifespan of the street furniture, such as Corten steel, or features like integrated PV (photovoltaic) panels to power charging points and lighting using renewable energy.  

Ability to incorporate green features - Public spaces where the availability of landscaped planting areas is limited can be designed to provide a more biodiverse environment by incorporating planters into the street furniture design and specification. This is why many modular systems can be configured to include planters, seamlessly integrated with seating, litter bins and other elements.

The Inspira Modular Planting System from Bailey Streetscene is a fine example. This is a flexible, modular retaining wall system which allows raised planting schemes to be created in virtually any location, boosting the presence of flora and fauna and encouraging biodiversity. The system is designed for rapid installation, providing a cost-effective solution versus bespoke planters to enhance the sustainability of developments, particularly sites in densely populated urban areas.

One urban development that has benefited from the incorporation of Inspira planters in Manchester College. Here, the aim for the external area to the front of the new contemporary building in the heart of the city was to create an accessible and inviting space for students. BSFG worked with the client to maximise use of the space available with several Inspira planter configurations, with additional features including tiered planter beds and integrated cantilever seating.

Options for modular shelter systems too

Whilst modularity is mostly associated with seating, benches and planters, the benefits of modular systems also extend to shelter systems. BSFG offers such as solution in its Heron Modular Shelter System, a versatile cantilevered shelter featuring powder-coated steel beams at the rear supporting a tilted flat roof clad with multiwall polycarbonate.

Heron’s is designed and manufactured in a way that offers customisation in terms of its size and colour, but also in that it can be configured into different shapes, including an L-shape. That means if can provide a shelter solution for numerous applications, including to provide covered cycle parking, a smoking/vaping shelter or a covered walkway.

Three installations of the Heron shelter provide an excellent demonstration of the versatility of the system. In the Ada Belfield Centre & Belper Library development in Derbyshire, a standard sized Heron shelter was installed to protect a small cycle parking area from the elements. A shelter was commissioned for the same purpose but on a much larger scale at the Fosse Park retail park in Leicester – an installation that shares the same aesthetics as the Belper project but provides a much longer span.

One of the latest Heron modular shelter projects shows how it works in a L-shape arrangement. Recently installed at the Vernon Stockton Seed Processing Centre at Delamere in Cheshire. The system provided a shelter with a cantilevered design that was customised to wrap around the building’s corner to increase the sheltered area for operational use.

To find out more about modular street furniture solutions available from BSFG visit our website – www.bsfg.co.uk.