The City of Canterbury Bankstown council wanted to increase the public dwell time on its streetscapes and encourage people to socialise outdoors more regularly. The initiative was funded by the NSW Government as part of their Streets as Rooms for Living project initially created to deliver more spaces to enjoy fresh air during the Covid pandemic.

We wanted to create multi-use places that would inspire solo or group interaction. More than concrete barriers and outdoor seating, each design needed to include an element that would attract people to the space, regardless of their intended activity.

Two unique designs were built over four sites in and around the Canterbury Bankstown business zones — locations with the most pedestrians and cyclists.

‘Tapestries’ was a fabric of wooden panels designed to deliver a park feel with different configurations for relaxation. Messages of welcome were included in different languages to ensure Canterbury Bankstown’s culturally and linguistically diverse diaspora would all feel included. The installation included planter boxes with Australian natives to soften the urban streetscape and deliver shade.

‘Lighthouses’ explored City of Canterbury Bankstown’s bright orange and angular brand identity through obtuse metal frames and transparent perspex. We coated the perspex in dichroic film to accentuate the shifting light throughout the day, meaning that the space transformed from minute to minute. Artificial lighting was added so that the Lighthouses served as a beacon of safety and promoted public use after sundown. Our focus on light made the structures popular subjects for photographers and social media.