Studio Meanwhile, City Blocks Urban Furniture
700 West Georgia Street Plaza was recently a vacant area after a major retailer abruptly exited its lease, leaving the space without its usual volume of activity. Our client sought solutions for the void left in what was once a thriving space they needed a Meanwhile intervention. Our challenge was to reinvigorate the plaza for existing tenants and shoppers who had lost amenities due to the vacancy.
We took a classic approach, returning to our urban magnet DNA strategy: make the space welcoming and sittable so people feel comfortable lingering. We transformed the plaza into a new pocket park and encouraged vendor pop-up spaces to compliment the new outdoor seating.
The pocket blocks merge sleek, customizable seating with integrated planters, with limitless configurations with the modular design, making the space adaptive, fun and flexible.
The “Linear” pocket block is a modular public seating solution expertly engineered and designed to integrate seamlessly into walking spaces.
Studio Meanwhile and City Blocks has the privilege of working from the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō (Sto:lo), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, also known as Vancouver, British Columbia. While this is our local home, we recognize that our work extends into the global realm of public space and has an impact on contested, politicised lands that have been and continue to be stewarded by many different and distinct local groups. It is our intention to help elevate these spaces in respectful and honourable collaboration with those who inhabit them, to further our mission to make public space available and accessible, for all people.
