'Social' bench?

Any kinds of public facilities always get involve in public (community), this kind of relationship cannot be ignored, depends on how strong is the relation between the public facility and community.
Bench, as a public facility, its design does have effect on the interaction between people in public. Some of the benches are certainly proved to be very cosy and social bench if we sit round the right way. Public may chat easily among each others with more eye-contact by sitting face to face on bench.

The design of bench below may encourage the social interaction among public. It creates a communal space for the community, perfect for not only groups, but also for individuals. It does whatever you need, social interaction or private space.

Chit-chatting within group, private space for loners

How about the following bench design? It is a bunch of cool design bench in Japan and it is said to be social bench! May be it does its task as social bench, but is it comfortable and convenient for public to have a sit?

This is a bench which is functioned as an advertisement, rather than a seating. This is totally not encouraging social interaction, this is a one seat bench and not practical at all! What do you think, people may just go and capture a photo, but not utilize it. It's a waste of public space!

pity benches....

Vandalism is not a common crime in our country, it can happen to any kinds of public facilities - public telephone, rubbish bin, public toilet, bench, lamp post........any facilities for public used are always cannot escape from vandalism and graffiti. Here are the pity benches that were being spoil at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Rubbish is all around the bench although the rubbish bin just few steps away

Wooden Bench or Stainless Steel Bench??

Such materials used to make bench are wood, stainless steel, iron, concrete, aluminum, plexiglass and others. After all, the most common material of bench is wood. During a talk given by my professor in class, he said, "never and never make a bench with stainless steel, if not, imagine how you sit on the hot bench under the sun!!" I think it's quite a good point.

Well, everyone should know stainless steel and iron are heat conductor, a good heat conductor. However, there are still quite a lot of benches are made up of these materials. Yes, may be they can be used for mild climate countries, but for sure not in Malaysia!! Imagine you sit on a bench in park that is exposed to sun, it's hot and may hurt your ass!!

Wooden bench

Concrete bench

Iron bench

Stainless steel bench

Note: Photos took from other sources in internet

Introduction of Bench

According to Wikipedia, BENCH is a piece of furniture, which mostly offers several persons seating.

Usually, bench is defined as the long seat for more than one person placed in a park, with or without a back. To define in my own way, bench is a functional public facility that facilitates people by providing seating to various kind of people. Bench can be placed not only in the park, but also along the pedestrian mall, roadside, or street. Thus, in some cases, bench is a kind of street furniture, especially in doing a site analysis. The existing benches in a site is always considered as an important element.

Here are some example of benches in Malaysia.

Benches placed in park, KLCC park.

Benches placed along the street, Penang road.

Bus Stop at Urban & Rural Area

Bus stop is a place where people stop and wait for the bus services. Can you imagine how is the difference between urban bus stop and rural bus stop?

Bus stop in front of Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

Bus stop at KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur

Photos below show the bus stops in rural area.

Wild long grass around bus stop

Leaning bus stop?

When will the roof blow off?

Is the bus stop obvious and safe?

Can it support heavy rain?

Is it hanging?

Bus stop in rural area should be improved, even not as modern as that in urban area, however, they should be in good condition and well maintained.

The Temples in the World

The word of 'temple' originate from Latin word 'templum'. A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites.

Angkor Wat, one of the seven wonders of the world, is the largest temple in history located at the state of Cambodia, with the entrance facing West. This temple gives the inspiration to countless novels and action movies of Hollywood.

Other than Angkor Wat, Tiger's Nest Monastery or Taktshang, is one of the holiest places in Bhutan, perched on the edge of a 3000 feet high cliff in Paro Valley. It was completed in the year of 1692.

Prambanan, a Hindu temple in Central Java, Indonesia was built in 850 CE, and composed of 8 main shrines and 250 surrounding smaller ones. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

Shwedagon Paya also known as the Golden Pagoda, is a 98 metres gilded stupa located in Yangon, Burma. According to legend, the Shwedagon Pagoda is 2500 years old. However, the exact date of this stupa was built is still a question.

The Temple of Heaven, literally as the Altar of Heaven, is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in southeastern urban Beijing, in Xuanwu District. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. This temple was constructed in 14th century by Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Chion-in Temple was built in 1234CE to honor the founder of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism, a priest named Honen, who fasted to death in the very spot. The vast compounds of Chion-in include the site where Hōnen settled to disseminate his teachings and the site where he died.

Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Jaya, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.

The Temple of Srirangam or Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, in the Indian city of Tiruchirapalli, is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world. The date of this temple was built is unknown but it existed in some form for the last 2000 years.

The 8 temples described above are the most amazing temples in the world, with their own historical background. They were existing since hundreds years ago, or even thousands years ago. Can you imagine how they built these temples by using the limited techniques and skills at the previous days?

Infrastructure assets categorized by function

Infrastructure typically refers to the technical structures that support a society, such as roads, water supply, wastewater, power grids, flood management systems, telecommunications and so on. Most of these systems are typically owned and managed by governments or public utility companies. How to categorize infrastructures?

Transportation infrastructure:

• Road and highway networks, including structures (bridges, tunnels, culverts, retaining walls), signage and markings, electrical systems (street lighting and traffic lights) and edge treatements (curbs, sidewalks, landscaping).
  
• Railways, including structures, terminal facilities (railyards, trains stations), level crossings, signaling and communications systems.
  
• Canals and navigable waterways requiring continuous maintenance (dredging, etc.).
  
• Seaports and coastal navigation systems.
  
• Airports, including air navigational systems.
  
• Mass transit systems (commuter rail systems, subways, tramways, trolleys).
  
• Bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways.
  

Energy infrastructure:

• Electrical power network, including generation plants, electric grid, substations and local distribution.
  
• Natural gas pipelines, storage and distribution terminals, as well as the local distribution network.
  
• Steam production and distribution networks for district heating systems.
  

Water management infrastructure:

• Drinking water supply, including the system of pipes, pumps, valves and filtration and treatment equipment, including buildings and structures to house the equipment, used for the collection, treatment and distribution of drinking water.
  
• Sewage collection and disposal.
  
• Drainage systems (sewers, ditches, etc.).
  
• Major irrigation systems (reservoirs, irrigation canals).
  
• Major flood control systems (dikes, leeves, major pumping stations and floodgates).
  

Communications infrastructure:

• Telephone networks (land lines) including switching systems.
  
• Cellular phone networks.
  
• The portion of cable televisions networks including receiving stations and cable distribution networks.
  
• The portion of internet systems including high-speed data cables, routers and servers.
  
• Communications satellites and underseas cable.
  
• Private or dedicated telecommunications networks (such as those used for internal communication and monitoring by major infrastructure companies, by governments, by the military or by emergency services).

(Source: Wikipedia)