Reopening restaurants are forced to make some changes in terms of the capacity, layout, and design of their spaces. As lockdown restrictions lift, it becomes painfully obvious that these measures are much needed for minimizing the risk of a second major outbreak.
Conscious of this fact, engineering firm Arup has debuted designs for reopening restaurants in Liverpool. The project is executed in collaboration with the City Council and Meristem Design. Dubbed 'Liverpool Without Walls,' the collection presents parklets, hybrid street furniture, and planters. The pieces are designed to be modular in order to suit the needs of different reopening restaurants. They slot together to make "outdoor seating areas," each is divided from one another by plants and perspex glass.
Image Credit: Dezeen
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Modular Restaurant Furniture
- In response to COVID-19, modular furniture designs for outdoor seating with plant and glass dividers create innovative ways to optimize capacity for reopening restaurants.
- Hybrid Street Furniture
- Hybrid street furniture designs provide innovative seating options for the expansion of outdoor dining in a post-COVID-19 landscape with varying restaurant needs and requirements.
- Parklets for Outdoor Seating
- Parklets serve as a new opportunity for cities to build more outdoor seating areas in order to minimize the risk of a second wave of COVID-19 while accommodating social distancing.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Furniture Manufacturing
- With the increase of outdoor dining, there is a demand for new manufacturing processes and materials to support modular and hybrid design solutions.
- Architecture and Design
- Architects and designers can leverage these modular and hybrid furniture designs to create new innovative outdoor spaces for reopening restaurants to engage customers and effectively implement social distancing measures.
- City Planning
- With the need for more parklets and public outdoor seating, city planners have an opportunity to implement policies and infrastructure that support the revitalization of local businesses and community building in a post-pandemic world.
