ABC Radio: Advocating for gender sensitive urban design
What makes a safer city, especially for our most vulnerable? OCULUS Associate Director Claire Martin recently joined Nicole Kalms from XYX Lab to discuss Gender Sensitive Urban Design (GSUD) on ABC Radio in The Conversation Hour.
Oculus writes, “we focus on designing places that are sustainable, equitable, inclusive, accessible and safe for everyone, in particular women, girls, gender diverse people and other vulnerable people.
“When we understand the lived experience of the people we’re designing for, we can bring a more empathetic approach to design.”
ABC Radio host Rachel Hunt talked about safety not only being about design but also how we interact with each other.
Claire Martin said, “It is about the community being involved with the process, the engagement, surveys and lived experiences.”
Martin and Kalms agree that GSUD is about activity and uses and the sociability, and the type of furniture and arrangements that support people feeling safe in our streets and cities. Listen to The Conversation Hour recording here.
“We cannot design just to please our clients anymore” says YasmeenLari
Pakistan’s first female architect, Yasmeen Lari, speaks with Dezeen’s Lizzie Cook about the important role architects play in supporting our planet. With her recent Royal Gold Medal Win for Royal Institute of British Architects, Lari hopes to encourage a shift towards her ‘barefoot social architecture’.
Cook writes that Lari’s movement, “focuses on improving the lives of disadvantaged communities through low-cost, low-carbon, zero-waste materials and building technologies.”
Lari said she was previously perceived as “a little crazy” with this movement towards a humanitarian brand of architecture, though it is these changes in designs she feels can make a real difference to climate change.
She says, “The future of the planet is in our hands. … We’ve got to rethink how we want to build.
“The planet is far bigger and far more important than any one of us. When we design, we really have to be feeling the Earth in some way, we cannot continue to inflict damage on it.”
Lari says the role of an architect should be that of an activist. Read more on Dezeen.
Street Furniture Australia and US partner Spruce & Gander in March hosted landscape architects from California and Texas on a visit to Sydney to experience a factory tour, site visits and a new product launch. The American landscape architects represented MJS Landscape Architecture, RHAA Landscape Architecture + Planning, TBG Partners, Avid Trails and Ten Eyck Landscape Architects. Over a week-long trip the guests were treated to famous sights of Sydney including the iconic Bondi Beach, a harbour cruise and dining at top restaurants in urban Surry Hills and the new Barangaroo precinct. Travelling to Regents Park in Western Sydney, they toured the Street Furniture Australia factory to see first-hand how products are designed, made and shipped all over the world. This included meeting the production team, industrial designers and engineers. …
Melissa Gerke, our Communications and Education Specialist, is bringing a fun, interactive and informative presentation about our carbon neutral journey and latest products to customers in cities around Australia and in the US. In 30 minutes (plus Q&A) we will explore materials and finishes, touch and feel samples, and bond with your colleagues over delicious treats. There will also be a mystery prize for a lucky winner (optional). 2024 cities and dates include: Select from three catering options (optional): To book, contact Melissa Gerke mgerke@streetfurniture.com
Successful products are often followed by copycats. Over the past year we have become aware of an increase in reproductions of the Linea range attempting to create a similar aesthetic at a lower price. This can compromise the overall durability and environmental credentials of projects being delivered, affect ongoing maintenance requirements, and in some instances pose a risk of injury to the public. The design of Linea is deceptively simple while delivering exceptional attention to detail. Details matter not only for beauty, but also for providing durability, and safety, that will last decades. Linea strictly uses the highest quality and sustainable materials, has passed rigorous strength tests, and is designed for longevity, with easily replaceable parts. The product range is the result of hundreds of hours of research and development …
