The Most Innovative Outdoor Spaces Around
I know you can feel it. Spring has finally sprung, vaccines are rolling out, and people seem charged up to get outside! At Agency 967, we’re always on the lookout for new and inventive spaces that fulfill a client’s needs. Whether you’re a restaurant, hotel, travel attraction, or any other business, you probably already know how challenging it can sometimes be to create a space that functions exactly the way you need it to, while also being aesthetically pleasing and not just the same ol’ same ol’.
Check out some of the innovative outdoor spaces that we’ve been eyeing recently, all aiming to keep visitors safe while still fulfilling the space’s purpose. These all go beyond the spaces we’ve seen before — restaurants with igloos or pods, gondola dining in ski towns, or tables tucked in an alleyway — and focus on genuinely creative ideas that even take some typically indoors-only activities outside. Who knows? You may just find some inspiration for your next space!
A New Way to Work
Sure, we’ve all seen outdoor spaces at your favorite restaurants, bars, or hotels. New York City’s restaurant scene has spilled out all over the sidewalks and streets, and it’s much the same in many other parts of the world. But what about moving your workspace outside, too?
It’s an interesting idea and one that certain companies are jumping on, like WeWork, who, late into last summer, when we realized we were all still probably in for another year or so of pandemic, touted its unique outdoor spaces built for individual work, meetings and more.
More than 100 WeWork locations offer these outdoor spaces around the country and, while each one is different, most feature a very clean, modern aesthetic, and the WeWork Viewpoint location in Seattle offers some killer waterfront and mountain views too. Plus, depending on your location, a WeWork outdoor space could offer extra amenities, like a pool or external battery packs for keeping your gear charged.
A Park for a New Age
Okay, so this outdoor space isn’t technically “around” — at least not yet. It lives in the minds of the design team at Austrian studio Precht. Parc de la Distance is pitched as a new green space format that could be used to make outdoor socializing spaces even safer than they already are. They effectively introduce a green barrier aspect: huge hedges that create a maze essentially for you to walk through with your quarantine pod. You’d get all the enjoyment of being at a park in the big city, without the fear of running into someone who doesn’t know the meaning of “social distancing.” For an added safety layer, the proposed design would include indicators to show if a part of the maze is occupied. Leave your memories of Kubrick’s “The Shining” at the entry gate.
New York City, But Safer
Sure, you can dine out in NYC and enjoy social distanced dining on any of the many sidewalks in Manhattan, but what about when you visit some of the typically crowded NYC green spaces? Well, inventive designers around the city have thought up solutions for those spaces and gotten crafty with just a bit of paint.
For example, Domino Park, with its incredible views from Williamsburg, now boasts painted, social-distancing picnic circles, each wide enough to fit a small pod of people, but far enough away from others to keep you comfortable. Probably more popular is the NYC High Line, which now boasts social distancing circles as well. Full disclosure, Gloster provided the lounge seating on the top of the Domino Sugar Factory Condominiums.
Outdoor Learning Made Easy
You’ve probably seen a “little library” around your neighborhood if you live in the suburbs, but if you haven’t, it’s basically a tiny box that features books to borrow on an honor system, or you can choose to take a book to keep and replace it with another. But what about full-size, standard libraries, many of which have been closed for the last year due to the coronavirus?
Turns out, some designers in Russia decided to offer some inventive new ways to take the library experience out into the great outdoors. We especially love the book pavilion in Moscow’s Park Muzeon. With lots of sharp edges, clean lines, color, and unique lighting, it could work just as well for any outdoor-friendly bar, cafe, or possibly a boutique.
Whatever Your Outdoor Design Needs, Agency 967 Can Help
Whatever your business, whatever your goals, Agency 967 can help you create an outdoor space that fits your needs, while keeping your customers safe and happy.
