Beautiful Barriers

Currently many cities across the globe are redefining their urban policies and city planning strategies as more and more of our European cities face terrorist attacks.

Terrorists aim to destroy the fabric of our culture and city life. As we all venture out to explore the new outdoor life post Covid it is crucial that city life can continue unabated. Demanding a solution and the need for new security requirements and procedures.

Following attacks in Barcelona and many other European cities, Italian architect Stefano Boeri, best known for his green plant covered buildings, has suggested that our cities take an alternative approach to vehicle mitigation. Cities should be redesigned to include trees and bulky planters overflowing with greenery rather than stark concrete barriers.

"A big pot full of soil has the same resistance to a Jersey [modular concrete barrier], but it can host a tree – a living being that offers shadow; absorbs the dust, subtle pollutants and the CO2; produces oxygen; homes birds."

It is considered that planting would integrate better with our picturesque monuments and historic architecture as seen on London Bridge temporarily following the vehicle attack that killed 11, 3 June 2017. The planters separated the footpath from the six lanes of traffic that crosses the bridge and protected the city's inhabitants.

Green spaces are vital for everyone and we all feel the benefit. A beautifully designed green landscape combined with clever street furniture design offers not only a great use of space but creates the opportunity to add a safety aspect with an additional aesthetic quality often missing in hard concrete design. Successful green areas and abundant planting can improve morale and productivity of city workers through psychological benefits and far beyond.

For urban planning to be successful it is important that design, technology and security work hand in hand. Public safety is continual, the impact of terrorist threats constant. So the need to design public spaces in order to reduce this risk and to minimise the impact of vehicular attacks is at the forefront. Street furniture has to be designed to serve all purposes. Both protection and aesthetics are key.

Bailey Street Furniture Group has in response to this demand designed a flexible, modular planter system which is perfect for creating raised planting schemes in our urban and city environment. Easy installation of the modules makes this planting system perfect for all areas of our cityscape, from courtyards to roads and shopping areas to recreational spaces.

Inspira Protect is a range of planters that feature a reinforced structure, designed for Hostile Vehicle Mitigation offering both security and protection to pedestrians and infrastructure without compromising the aesthetic value of a residential or commercial area.

Inspira Linear is a collection of straight walls and angled corners perfect for geometrically shaped areas. Inspira Form offers an aesthetically pleasing addition of curved wall and corner sections allowing for a more organic shaped installation. All modules are available in a wide variety of materials, finishes and sizes. Inspira provides us with a blank canvas, enabling natural planting and colour introduction in conjunction with safety.

Inspira Seating integrates seamlessly with both the linear and beautiful organic curves of the modules  to create a social space. A valuable place to safely sit, socially distanced among a pocket of green space bringing an essentiel sense of wellbeing.

Inspira Form includes all the rectilinear components of Linear but with the addition of curved wall and corner sections, allowing more organically shaped installations to contrast with the sharp lines of the cityscape, all can be utilised to combine with Inspira Protect

So it is possible to secure our cityscapes without sacrificing both the beauty and identity of our urban environment.

Bailey Street Furniture Group offers the combination of innovative design, clever solutions and smart technologies for our urban regeneration and security needs. BSFG believes that investing in well designed unrestricted urban spaces is vitally important, our immediate surroundings and environment benefit our quality of life and promote a healthier and safer future that we all depend upon.

Using world class design teams and utilising environmentally sustainable materials in conjunction with leading edge technology, Bailey Street Furniture Group creates inspiring integrated urban furniture with our future needs in mind.

For more information on BSFG please contact their team on 01625 322 888 or email enquiries@bsfg.co.uk. To view the company’s wide range of high quality street furniture visit their website www.bsfg.co.uk