Vancouver Public Space Network » adam oneill

IN PHOTOS: Benches of the Beach District

VPSN — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 19:28:37 +0000

photos and captions by Adam O’Neill

We’ll have to wait until 2018 to test out the public furniture installed as part of the ambitious Vancouver House development. The new “Beach District” will be flanked by two great urban green spaces – George Wainborn Park (GWP) and May & Lorne Brown Park (MLBP). Both have some of the most exciting public furniture in the city – have a gander!

What a beautiful picnic table! Located right next to the seawall in GWP this little number isn’t just a looker, it’s functional too. My wife and I have picnicked here several times and I must say that the concrete seats are much more comfy than they look.

These four benches in GWP are surrounded by trees and make for a very comfortable, shady spot during the heat of the day.

These yellow loungers in GWP are reminiscent of Adirondack chairs. They are incredibly comfortable, and the wide arm rests make for great little tables.

The lovely view form the aforementioned yellow loungers. The designers of the park had the forethought to place the chairs on a concrete footing so the railing doesn’t fully block the view.

Lots of seating up in the plaza section of GWP. These concrete shelf benches ring the water feature. A very cool place to chill in the summer heat due to the mist from the fountain.

A nice line of benches in GWP. See how they are built on concrete risers to see over the ivy covered wall?

Well, they need to be raised a bit higher. At 6’2”, I can’t see over the wall. If we ever get an NBA team again, this might be their favourite spot to sit.

This over-sized harvest table in MLBP truly captures the imagination! One of the best community gathering places in the city, I do believe! Groups can get a simple picnic permit to reserve the table in advance.

The short benches at the centre of the table seat threeand the centre section of the table is checkered. Chess anyone?

At each end of the table, there are two hugely tall concrete chairs.

Until next time, take a load off!

IN PHOTOS: Benches of Yaletown

VPSN — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 15:00:37 +0000

photos and captions by Adam O’Neill

Few objects in our public spaces invite us to stop and enjoy them as effectively as seating. Public spaces contain a wide variety of furnishings that let us take a load off and enjoy our surroundings. It’s this diversity of furniture in public spaces that I’m hoping to celebrate and document one neighbourhood at a time in a series titled “Benches of…” First up is Yaletown.

This bench is located in Yaletown Park. It’s a perfect perch to watch the pigeons from and is quite comfortable for sitting (not lying down, a very uncomfortable siesta spot).

Mainland Street has a wonderful diversity of backless benches. It’s quite common on a happening saturday night to see 6-8 folks cozied up on a backless bench taking a breather. A very flexible piece of street furniture.

Another bench along Mainland Street. Made from a single giant piece of wood and two pieces of rusted steel it really harkens back to the industrial history of Yaletown. I call this one the “leaning pyramid bench” as in, that pyramid sure looks good to lean up against.

These red loungers can be flipped on their sides to make L shaped backless benches and can be moved. These are definitely the most fun pieces of furniture in Yaletown!

Here’s a shot of a lounger in lounge mode. A very comfortable way to enjoy a great public space.

The Roundhouse Turntable Plaza is the home to these funky loungers. The Plaza was re-opened in 2012 after a long re-imagining process. It is so much more useable now, love it!

This is an example of the standard Yaletown seawall bench. They are reasonably comfy and there are lots of them!

Benches with a water view. The quintessential Vancouver public furniture. Sit down, stare off and relax.

These two benches may look like the last two examples of the standard Yaletown seawall bench but there is a major difference. They are almost 20 years younger and have been orientated in such a way that encourages engagement. They also have great water views!