When seating is incorporated into an existing planter design, the planter needs to be structurally re-engineered to cater for the additional loading. With metal planters, these modifications can generally be achieved without excessive additional costs.
Two generic arrangements are commonly specified.
1. Offset cantilevered seating
The seating is offset from the face of the planter and supported by a series of cantilevers.
The cantilevers are generally anchored internally within the planter, with the loads spread through the planter’s vertical stiffeners and cross-braces. No modifications are generally required to the essential design or material specification of the planter. This is generally the cheapest option to add seating.
Planter with Bench Seating and hidden support struts
Offset cantilevered works well for occasional seating in commercial breakout areas.
However, it does not work well for the massive seating timbers often used for permanent seating in public realm due to the significant torsional loads that are created. In these kinds of situations, top-mounting is more appropriate.
2. Partially offset top-mounted seating
Top-mounting is a robust arrangement in which the torsional seating loads are progressively reduced and transferred to compressional loads.
With this option the material specification of the planter walls needs to be ‘beefed-up’ – additional structures, such as gussets, are required underneath to support the seating.
Other than cost, this arrangement has no particular drawback.
Corten steel street benches, London Borough of Ealing
With all of the stresses now carried by the planter walls, there is no longer the need to transfer the loads within a planter – and thus top-mounted is ideal for inclusion within planted perimeters.
Another benefit of the partially offset top-mounted option is that the seated person's clothes never touch the planter, making this option ideal, for example, for corten steel and/or inner-city public realm. To achieve the same objective with offset cantilevered requires the inclusion of seat backs at added cost.
Bespoke bench seating solutions
There are always exceptions to the rule and sometimes briefs require a radically new design approach – examples of which include Foster + Partners designed roof garden at BBC Wales New Broadcasting House in Cardiff >>
Bespoke integrated planters with bench seating, BBC Wales
Seating design possibilities
Using the two generic arrangements, there are endless seating design possibilities.
Seating may be:
Straight or curved or sinuous
Exposed or inset into the planter to create secluded areas
cCombined with any number of different planting schemes, big or small
Outdoor bench planter detail
The material selection and design of the seating itself, can dramatically influence both the functionality and aesthetic.
With modern CNC machining, for example, sculpting the individual timbers used for the seating, can elevate the perceived value-added on higher-end schemes.
Once the general design is established, other design elements can easily be included, such as:
LED underlighting
Seat backs
Armrests
Anti-skate board devices etc.
Seating material selection
The final specification decision relates to the material selection for the seating – and, here again, the possibilities and choice are vast.
The most commonly-specified options are:
Hardwoods, such as FSC Iroko and European Oak
Engineered woods, such as Accoya
Recycled plastic composite ‘faux-timber’
Concrete or Glass Reinforced Cement (GRC)
However, with creative licence, there is no reason why other stable materials cannot be used – such as natural stone, ceramic or porcelain, or complementary metals.
About IOTA
IOTA is expert in modifying existing metal planter designs to incorporate seating for commercial and public realm schemes. Where the brief requires it, a bespoke approach is undertaken.
IOTA’s in-house metal working facilities include precision laser cutting, fabrication, powder coating and specialist applied finishes such as patination.
To discuss a standard or bespoke planter scheme incorporating seating, call 01934 522617 or click Visit Site for additional information.
