This recently completed project was named after the county wide Bridge-to-Bay Pedestrian Trail System.

Wishbone was thrilled to take part in the development of this parklet. During the planning and design phase of Spring 2019, we began the process of suggesting a ‘feature’ piece of site furniture that would complement the overall layout.

Very soon we settled on our modular, Curved Skyline Bench to lend the project a unique aesthetic without going over budget.

The focus was on a great fit for the space, functionality for all user groups, easy maintenance, and long-term performance. Two of our Skyline Curved benches combine to form a wave shape – kind of like a soundwave!

The entire project was made possible through grant funds through KABOOM! (https://kaboom.org/) and the Play Everywhere challenge which encourages individuals of all ages to incorporate play in their everyday lives.

We were graciously provided these amazing photos of the completed project and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Here’s some feedback directly from the City:

“The City is extremely pleased with the quality and design of the bench seating and the customer service was outstanding.  We have received several compliments from residents regarding the design of the bench, which is a perfect fit for the space!”

- Michele E. Goodrich, City of Marine City

In the summer of 2019, Wishbone was called upon to supply in large quantity two types of benches for this high-profile school project: our Skyline and Skyline backless bench with a modification for installation as part of a gabion-cage wall feature.

Although the Skyline Gabion Bench had been customized, specified and installed as such on a previous project, a challenge arose rather early on during the construction phase for this job.

The landscape contractor needed the gabion leg portions only on a much sooner-than-anticipated timeline. If Wishbone were able to advance the manufacturing timeline for these supporting leg components of the benches, it would facilitate the correct installation in conjunction with the assembly of the gabion cages.

Wishbone rose to the challenge, delivering the aluminum leg portions in advance of the actual bench seating portions.

A further consideration was the elevation of the benches in the context of the grade of the project – everything was on a slant! Working quickly with Cam from PMG-LA, both Westwood and Wishbone were careful to ensure that the seat-height of all the benches was uniform regardless of the challenging grades.

Wishbone was also present on-site to assist with the fitting of the bench portions to the gabion leg portions, providing quality control assurance and manufacturer’s approval of the completed install. We believe the finished project is something that all stakeholders can be proud of, also demonstrating Wishbone’s core values of Passion, Integrity, Accountability, and – overall – Quality.

The Okanagan Rail Trail Committee (ORTC) is an interjurisdictional group tasked with managing a 50km biking and walking trail with a rich history in British Columbia, Canada: The Okanagan Rail Trail.

They have membership from City of Vernon, District of Coldstream, Regional District of the North Okanagan, Okanagan Indian Band, District of Lake Country and the City of Kelowna.

Link here: https://www.tourismkelowna.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/okanagan-rail-trail/

In early 2019, Wishbone was invited to work with the Landscape architects and designers from Bench Site Design in Kelowna BC to develop and deliver the seating required for the project. It just so happened that these communities had some consistency already in that they all had existing Wishbone furniture in different applications.

The challenges were two-fold: what they were looking for wasn’t in our current product selection, and the material choices they were considering the structure and seating surface were also up for debate.

Ultimately, they were looking for something that had some very unique elements. Although we didn’t quite have the matching product they were envisioning, we were happy to accommodate the custom request in two ways.

So firstly we engaged in a design process that made it as easy as possible to come up with a new product that met the project’s needs by morphing two product lines that we were already working on: the Skyline Curved Bench and the Makenzie Modular Bench. The Skyline design would incorporate the curves, and the Mackenzie design would provide the CNC-customizable leg-ends that would be used to tell a story through images. The leg end “canvas” can be used to tell any story through images using our sophisticated CNC-routering technique that delivers inlayed designs, motifs, and logos with multiple colours.

Secondly, after settling on Wishbone’s super durable powder coated aluminum frames, the stakeholders insisted on a non-plastic seating material.

Creatively, we were able to satisfy the customer requesting an alternate seating material by working with the Landscape Architect to have others supply & secure the planks. This required precise coordination to ensure a successful integration & installation of materials.  The final choice was Accoya – a sustainable, high-performance modified wood product. We think the finished pieces look stunning.

This entire project is the epitome of being able to combine the aspirations and the needs of the client and stakeholders with our manufacturing capabilities and merge them together into a unified story.

As with all types of custom projects that involve a key designer or architect we give them the opportunity to actually name the resultant product. Credit goes to Keith Nyhof at Bench Site Design for providing the excellent name: “Story Bench”

Hence the name of this bench which symbolizes two things – the story of the design of the bench and the platform to enhance and communicate the story of the ORT via the site furniture at the interpretive sites along the trail.