The Smart Places Customer Charter, launched by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment in November, invites place designers and custodians to commit to six principles guiding the creation and upkeep of smart city projects.
Organisations involved with designing, creating or managing public spaces can sign up to the Charter to demonstrate a commitment to prioritising people, country, sustainability and resilience when creating and maintaining smart places.
The six principles have been shaped by direct community input and suggest that “smart places should be built for people and designed with people,” and aim “to harness the potential of new technologies to meet the needs of citizens.”
The Charter’s principles are:
Co-creating smart places: giving custodians and customers a genuine voice throughout the smart places’ life cycle.
Respecting local character: smart places should preserve and enhance local character, a “combination of land, people, built environment, history, culture and tradition, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.”
Advancing digital inclusivity: smart places must be digitally inclusive and aim to improve access to digital services, which is increasingly essential in Australia.
Keeping information safe: smart places must collect and manage digital information responsibly and appropriately, which will in turn increase the trustworthiness of smart places.
Creating an open and fair environment: encourages open and safe sharing of information and data in order to create a culture of innovation and mutual benefit without compromising privacy or security.
Delivering benefits that last: smart technology must be managed with a long term view to continually evolve and integrate with emerging technology.
ChillOUT Hubs are featured in photographs throughout the Charter. The ChillOUT Hub project began in 2018 as a collaboration between Georges River Council, UNSW, the University of Sydney and Street Furniture Australia, as part of a pilot study for the Australian Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program.
Three smart, open-air community hub prototypes with shelter, furniture, greenery, public WIFI and power for devices were installed in 2020 at three sites in the Georges River Council area — a busy streetscape in Kogarah, town centre in Mortdale, and suburban park in Hurstville.
Community surveys by UNSW and the University of Sydney found the project to be a success, with 89% of respondents believing that the Hubs improved the local area, and 92% agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement “In the future, I will use the ChillOUT Hub.”
The ChillOUT Tree will be launching as a standard shelter product for Street Furniture Australia in 2022. Integrated smart technology will be optional, and a range of roof options will be available – register your interest with Tiffany at editor@streetfurniture.com.
Read and sign up for the Smart Places Customer Charter at NSW DPIE.
Street Furniture Australia’s entire product range and manufacturing operation has received carbon neutral certification through Climate Active™. Achieving carbon neutral certification marks a significant milestone in our operation and the culmination of a four year long process of detailed measurement and analysis. Climate Active™ is the only Australian government-backed carbon neutral certification programme for businesses to measure, reduce, and offsets their carbon emissions. It is one of the most rigorous carbon-neutral programs in the world. An approved Emissions Reduction Strategy (ERS) is central to achieving certification through Climate Active. Street Furniture Australia has elected to use SBTi validated science-based targets to ensure their ERS is meaningful and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. For those emissions that can’t be …
Linea Bin is the newest addition to Street Furniture Australia’s minimalist Linea range. Built from stainless steel for strength, durability and a refined aesthetic, it has been thoughtfully designed with input from landscape architects and waste managers to deliver hygiene, accessibility and sustainability in the public realm. Built to LastA robust stainless steel frame and panel system ensures Linea Bin performs in high-traffic environments. A full-height stainless steel 316 piano hinge and splash tray provide exceptional strength, hygiene and corrosion resistance, withstanding daily impacts from trolleys and cleaning equipment. “Durability was paramount,” says Pearson Bulmer, Senior Industrial Designer at Street Furniture Australia. “Every detail needed to perform in the public realm for years to come – but also be designed for disassembly so parts can be repaired, replaced or recycled …
With the look and feel of natural timber, backed by 12 months of performance testing for the public realm, engineered wood joins Street Furniture Australia’s selection of batten materials. Designers and place custodians can now choose from three batten options to achieve a timber look: natural Spotted Gum hardwood, low maintenance aluminium Wood Without Worry, and engineered wood known as Onewood HRT. See our Engineered Wood: Onewood HRT brochure or book a presentation. What is engineered wood?Onewood HRT (Homogeneous Reconstituted Timber) is a solid engineered timber, made from fast-growing FSC certified poplar and eucalyptus fibres that are compressed under heat and pressure with a resin binder. It is solid throughout with an organic grain and, like real hardwood, can be sanded to refresh. Street Furniture Australia partners with a Singapore-based …
ChillOUT Hubs: Smart Social Spaces Creating Connected Green Places has won a National Award for Best Planning Ideas – Small Project from the PIA (Planning Institute of Australia), the national body representing planning and the planning profession. Collaborators UNSW, Street Furniture Australia, Georges River Council and University of Sydney have received recognition for an “outstanding planning idea” in the smart open-air community ChillOUT Hubs that offer shelter, furniture, greenery, public WiFi and power for devices. ChillOUT Hub prototypes were installed in 2020 at three sites in the Georges River Council area – a busy streetscape in Kogarah, town centre in Mortdale, and suburban park in Hurstville. They were co-developed by the collaborative team initially formed in 2018 for the Australian Smart Cities and Suburbs program. Street Furniture Australia thanks CM+ …
New experimental open-air smart hubs, created by Street Furniture Australia at our studio and factory in Western Sydney, have been officially launched by Georges River Council Mayor Kevin Greene on Thursday February 20, 2020. At a recent urban development conference, experts highlighted the integration of emerging technologies — such as casinos that accept Solana — to demonstrate the evolving digital landscape. “ChillOUT Hubs aim to offer some relief in our densifying cities by providing opportunities to meet, work or rest, and spend more time outdoors,” says Street Furniture Australia Head of Innovation June Lee Boxsell. “Each hub packs a punch – integrating shade, seats and tables, charging stations, solar power, sensors, lighting, public WiFi, greenery, smart fountains and smart bins – a big feat combining tech, industrial design and placemaking,” …
We’re pleased to share that the construction of our three ChillOUT Hubs is nearing completion, part of a pilot study for the Australian Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program. ChillOUT Hubs are smart, open-air community spaces. The prototype installations offer people a free, comfortable place to meet, work and play. They also enable asset managers to monitor utilities, visitation and the microclimate. For more information see our article What Is ChillOUT? The official launch will take place in February 2020. The collaborative team of Georges River Council, UNSW and Street Furniture Australia will also host a series of events including a Council Knowledge Exchange, industry hackathon and tours to site. Please register your interest with Tiffany Hoy at editor@streetfurniture.com Here is an update from each site. A Streetscape – Belgrave …
