About

awards and media

Accolades for furniture design and smart city research projects.

Street Furniture Australia is an award-winning company, featured in the press for our activation projects in collaboration with government, universities and landscape architects.

Good Design Award Trophy and Certificate, Street Furniture Australia

awards

Good Design Award Gold 2022
ChillOUT Tree received the highest honour for design and innovation in the country, at prestigious Gold level. The award is shared by Street Furniture Australia with ChillOUT Hub collaborators Georges River Council, UNSW and the University of Sydney.

National Planning Institute of Australia Awards for Planning Excellence 2021
UNSW, Georges River Council, the University of Sydney and Street Furniture Australia together received a National Award for Best Planning Ideas – Small Project for the ChillOUT HubsSmart Social Spaces Creating Connected Green Places project.

Planning Institute of Australia Awards for Planning Excellence 2020, NSW
UNSW, Georges River Council, the University of Sydney and Street Furniture Australia were awarded an Award of Excellence in the Best Planning Ideas (Small Projects) category for the ChillOUT HubsSmart Social Spaces Creating Connected Green Places project in the NSW state awards.

Highly Commended, Cross Sectoral Collaboration – 2019 Smart City Awards
The smart cities partnership between Georges River Council, the UNSW Built Environment Team and Street Furniture Australia was highly commended by the Committee for Sydney.

Smart City Awards 2019, Committee for Sydney

2019 Good Design Award – Furniture and Lighting Category
The Aria Smart Bench received a prestigious Good Design Award Winner Accolade for outstanding design and innovation.

Good Design Award, Street Furniture Australia

2018 Smart Cities Award – Built Environment
Street Furniture Australia’s #BackyardExperiment white paper was named winner of the Built Environment category at the inaugural Australian Smart Cities Awards in October 2018.

Smart Cities Council ANZ, Built Environment Award - #BackyardExperiment Report.

2017 NSW and ACT Parks and Leisure Award – Research Project
#BackyardExperiment won the Research Project Award at Parks and Leisure Australia’s 2017 NSW and ACT Regional Awards of Excellence.

Parks and Leisure PLA Australia, Research Project Award - #BackyardExperiment Report.

Community Contribution Landscape Architecture Award – Australian Institute of Landscape Architects ACT Awards 2018
The #BackyardExperiment Garema Place Pop-Up Park, designed by Context Landscape Architects, received the state Landscape Architecture Award.

media

“Streetwise and sustainable” – review by Architecture & Design
9 February, 2020

World Bank Report: The Hidden Wealth of Cities – Creating, Financing, and Managing Public Spaces
World Bank Group, by Jon Kher Kaw, Hyunji Lee and Sameh Wahba, 2020

Street Furniture Australia is proud to have been mentioned in the report as an example of innovation in measuring the public realm with our Smart Social Spaces and ChillOUT research in collaboration with Georges River Council and the University of New South Wales and University of Sydney (p102).

‘There Are Park Benches. And Then There are Smart Park Benches.’
Mike Cherney, The Wall Street Journal, 26 June 2018

‘Georges River Gets Modern Touch With Smart City Innovations’
Jennifer O’Brien, CIO, 19 February 2019

‘This Urban Space Designer Attributes 3 Factors to Its 30-Year Success’
Jessica Muddit, Company Director Magazine, July 2018

‘Turning a Dull Park Into a Place People Actually Enjoy’
Adam Sneed, CityLab by The Atlantic, 1 March 2017

6 Low-Cost Techniques to Activate Underused Urban Space’
Ariana Zilliacus, ArchDaily, 23 February 2017

‘Study Proves Improved Landscape Design Attracts More Visitors’
The Real Estate Conversation, 20 February 2017



recent news

Join us for West Fest 2025

A half-day knowledge exchange presented by Cumberland City Council, the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and Street Furniture Australia. Featuring six rapid 10-minute talks, a Q&A with speakers, panel discussion chaired by Joshua French (Greater Sydney Parklands) and a networking lunch. LIVESTREAM or IN-PERSON (only 100 seats at Parramatta Square)Tuesday 25 November 2025, 8.30am-1pm AEDT This is a free event, 5 AILA CPD points. Hosts: Natalie McEvoy NSW President, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Christopher Manoski Manager Place and Engagement, Cumberland City Council Panel Chair: Joshua French Chief Executive, Greater Sydney Parklands Rapid Talks: Density (Done Well) Jeremy GillHead of Policy, Committee for Sydney Designing Density for Health: Evidence, Equity, and Opportunity Dr Jennifer KentSenior Research Fellow, University of Sydney  Delivering Density with Amenity Jai ShankarExecutive Manager City Planning & …

  • 5 nov 2025
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Seen at DARK: Would You Specify Lavender Mist?

Street Furniture Australia furnished the Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture’s Festival: DARK, held in Nipaluna/Hobart from 19-21 October, with a collection of curated settings. This year’s installation featured a combination of Linea and Piatto ranges in a custom Lavender Mist powdercoat created especially for the Festival. Reflecting the Festival’s colour palette, the soft, on-trend lilac tone was paired with aluminium woodgrain in Curly Birch. Specifiers, let us know what you think of the colour. Design for GoodAs part of Street Furniture Australia’s annual Good Cause Giveaway at the AILA Festival, all of the furniture exhibited – valued at $45,000 – has been donated to local Tasmanian organisations selected by the Festival’s Creative Directorate: Miriam Shevland, Simone Bliss and Jerry de Gryse. This year’s recipients are: “As rewarding as it is …

  • 5 nov 2025
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Trend Watch: Safer Parks for Women and Girls

The second edition of Safer Parks: Improving Access for Women and Girls brings renewed attention to how public green spaces must evolve to address longstanding safety and access inequities. The report builds on research from the University of Leeds and other partners and is now endorsed by the UK’s Police Crime Prevention Initiatives. The guidance is structured around three sections: ‘Eyes on the Park’ (ensuring sufficient presence and visibility of people to increase confidence), ‘Awareness’ (design and management interventions to boost perceived and actual safety), and ‘Inclusion’ (ensuring voices and experiences of women and girls shape the space). Ten guiding principles across these sections are illustrated with case studies showing how practical design, maintenance and usage strategies – such as sight lines, lighting, programming, local outreach and responsive maintenance – …

  • 3 nov 2025
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