The term “site furniture” is most often associated with
benches. Although they make a great addition to properties and public spaces,
and are the most popular piece of site furniture, there are so many other products
that get overlooked. Various waste and recycling receptacles (including
receptacles dedicated to ash and dog waste), bike racks, picnic tables and
floral planters all fall into the site furniture category and all come with a
variety of benefits.
We service a variety of different clientele including
municipalities and BIAs as well as commercial and residential property managers
and although their types of businesses may differ the use of site furniture benefits
them in similar ways.
Keeping a property or street clean and aesthetically pleasing
is extremely important. If we look at the example of a residential property
like a condo, the exterior of the building and the property it sits on is what
potential tenants and visitors base their first impressions on. If they arrive to a property with litter
scattered all over it, their first impression is not going to be great. It is
also very much the same for municipalities, BIAs and retail properties. You want to maintain a certain level of
cleanliness to make those areas or shopping centres more attractive and
appealing to consumers. Having proper waste and recycling receptacles located
throughout the property or public space makes waste disposal the easy choice
for users, helping to maintain that level of cleanliness without too much
effort.
But it’s not just about having your basic garbage can here
or there. Cigarette butts are often times the worst culprit for littering a
property or public space, they are a pain to clean up and having them disposed
in a regular garbage receptacle creates a fire hazard. To combat this problem,
there are a variety of specially designed ash receptacles available to promote
proper ash and cigarette butt disposal. There are smaller, more inconspicuous
models that can be mounted to walls and larger free standing models that can be
used in shared open spaces. Having a few ash receptacles located on a property,
will not only encourage people to smoke in these specific areas but will also
make clean up less of a hassle.
Increasing curb appeal is a huge benefit to site furniture
however it also makes a space more user friendly. Having picnic tables in parks
and benches on city streets is common sense but often times they tend to get
overlooked on residential properties. If a property has a large shared space,
whether it is a court yard, a BBQ area or a rooftop patio, having the proper
site furniture for the area makes it much more usable. With more sustainable
models manufactured with recycled materials becoming available due to their
increasing popularity, they are maintenance free and last much longer than
their traditional wooden counterparts.
Another increasingly popular amenity, that makes a property
more tenant friendly and BIAs and commercial properties more accessible are
bike racks. With cycling becoming an increasingly popular mode of
transportation, especially in large metropolitan areas, having the proper bike
storage is imperative. On residential properties bike parking for tenants is
often available in the parking garage or within the storage facilities; however
bike parking for visitors is often overlooked. Having a smaller space for a
bike rack located near the entrance of a condo not only allows secure parking
for visitors that don’t have access to the parking garage, but for tenants who
may be making a quick stop at home. It’s
equally as important to have secure bike parking located on commercial
properties and within municipalities and BIAs because it makes those places more
accessible to those that cycle. If there is not somewhere visible to lock a
bike to, people may just cycle through your BIA as oppose to stopping and
enjoying the amenities you have to offer.
Admittedly, well manufactured site furniture can be an
investment, however with that investment you receive products that help
maintain a clean appearance, decreasing time spent on ground maintenance and
increasing your curb appeal as well as making your property, BIA or
municipality more accessible. It’s an investment worth making.
