Outdoor furniture for projects in the public realm can benefit from strategic adjustments. For higher-traffic, civic and more exposed locations, furniture fixing and weighting help ensure your projects remain secure and look good, long-term.
Canberra City Renewal project, featuring weighted and fixed Kink Table and Kink Bench Seat in Spotted Gum. Photography by Anne Stroud.
Collaborating with architects and designers for more than 30 years, we work hard to meet the needs of many sectors. For demanding commercial projects in workplace, education, public and hospitality settings – outdoor furniture needs more than just beautiful aesthetics and premium quality. And ensuring our products are fit-for-purpose goes beyond embedding sustainability through durable materials and local manufacture. We also provide practical options like fixation and weighting that help your projects stay safe, secure, and good-looking for years to come.
418 Elizabeth St Rooftop project by Arcadia Landscape Architecture, with WMK Architecture and FDC. Featuring weighted Seam Chair. Photo by Anthony Fretwell.
In outdoor settings like rooftops, schools, colleges and universities, public plazas and streetscapes, furniture security and stability often need to be addressed directly. In cases like these, it’s helpful to build in solutions from the beginning. Adaptations like fixing can help to deter or cultivate desired user behaviour in a semi-public realm like a university campus, where furniture may get moved around. And weighting further assists with environmental factors like wind loading on rooftops or high-level balconies. Depending on the circumstances, many of our pieces can be either fixed and/or weighted.
NAB Parramatta and Wynyard by Woods Bagot featuring weighted and fixed Scape Module, Scape Picnic Table, Seam Table and Seam Bench Seat. Photography by Trevor Mein and Nicole England.
Basically, fixation prevents a product from being moved by a user or an environmental factor like wind. We offer two main types of fixation:
Tether: Using a rubber coated metal cable to attach the product to a substrate i.e. the ground or a table.
Concealed fixing: For products that have a hollow leg (eg. Linear Table) we make a concealed bracket that goes inside the leg and attaches to the ground
If neither of these methods will work with the particular project requirements, we can explore alternative visible fixing options.
Weighting a product involves adding additional weights to a product, predominantly to prevent it from being moved by wind. If the product allows, we can conceal steel bars within the frame (steel is used for its heavy weight, whereas aluminium bars would not offer enough additional weight). For the Rockpool range of seating, for example, we have designed steel bars that get bolted under the seat panel. This means extra weight and stability is added, whilst maintaining the elegant aesthetic of the design.
418 Elizabeth St Rooftop project by Arcadia Landscape Architecture, with WMK Architecture and FDC. Featuring weighted Seam Barstool. Photo by Anthony Fretwell.
If furniture for your project could benefit from fixation and weighting, it’s best to mention it to your sales representative during early discussions, as they are factory fitted during production (rather than being retrofitted). Once we have project information, our design team can provide you and your engineer with detailed options to inform your specification. It’s important to note, there is an extra cost, which is dependant on the product type and fixing type.
Any required fixation and weighting customisation is then carried out by the fabrication team and in some cases may need to be approved by the project engineer.
Talk to one of our specification team to find out more.
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