Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/331457
install – and Basalite's accompanying line of outdoor fireplaces and water features make the space easy to enjoy. On the commercial side, Sanderson Concrete Inc. has been dabbling in exciting developments: as new licensees for the StoneTerra retaining wall system, it's been producing 1,700-pound stone-faced blocks, a fraction of the weight of typical big blocks, which means they can be easily installed with a mini-excavator or Bobcat. SITE FURNISHINGS "Landscape architecture, together with architecture and planning, is rooted in bigger cultural paradigm shifts," notes Efrain Velez, senior designer at Landscape Forms. "One such shift is the one reviving our city centres with dynamic new sys- tems that combine, organize and balance our daily routines with work, leisure and density. New interesting patterns of life outdoors are emerging in those cities." Kirt Martin, VP of design and marketing at Landscape Forms, points to multi- functional products like the benches within the MultipliCITY collection, which can be configured to address ever-evolving uses; or the modular, cast stone Twig seating that can be arranged and rearranged as necessary. The Candela street lamp, also available through Landscape Forms, is a sign of a cultural shift, too, utilizing envi- ronmentally friendly LED lights to illuminate the sidewalks below. Though Frost Site Furnishings is a relative newcomer to the site furnishings game, Jamie Biggar, director of sales and marketing, is keen to create an impression. "Over the past several years, commercial property owners have tried to blend or hide their site furnishings around their property. This led to lower quality and less interesting designs of products as consumers were not willing to spend money on items that were not overly important to them," says Biggar. "Through our research, we noticed people's opinions beginning to change on this: people were realizing that site furnishings were often a visitor's first impres- sion of their building or property," adds Biggar. Frost's collection of heavy duty steel furnishings come in modern designs to provide function with style: bike racks, ergonomic benches and 160-litre waste Photo: Portfolio by Modular architectural lighting. The fi xtures consist of two aluminum structures with polycarbonate between them. As there are no joints in the polycarbonate, the result is a soft, energy-effi cient LED glow in all directions. June 2014 /15 Landscape products p.12-17Landscape.indd 15 14-06-03 9:36 AM