Six design tips for planning a communal courtyard

Happy communities need dynamic social spaces.
Developers realise functional outdoor areas are high on the wish lists of potential residents.
Shared spaces which offer flexibility, comfort and cutting-edge design tick all of the boxes.
Broxap Street Furniture is best placed to help contractors deliver a multipurpose layout.
With 75 years of experience in designing, manufacturing and installing innovative outdoor products, we have everything needed to transform courtyards into places where people can gather and interact.

Our extensive range of shelters and canopies includes some fantastic additions for a courtyard area.
A Shade Sail is a really versatile option. We have a huge range of sizes and colours to choose from which create safe and cool shaded areas for dining, relaxing or taking a break from the sun.
A Tensile Fabric Structure, such as those installed by Broxap at the University Hospital of Royal Stoke, and the University of Worcester, offers protection from the wind and rain as well as the heat.
Easy to maintain, they provide long lasting cover with a clean, smart look.
At The Slate Yard in Salford, our design and build teams worked with contractors and architects to create a stunning geometric timber canopy.
The combination of contemporary design and quality materials has created a modern yet natural feel in the shared courtyard.

With one of the largest ranges of outdoor seating available on the UK market, we can make sure spaces large and small are always comfortable and welcoming.
The right choice of seating can make all the difference to a courtyard project. Take a look at the work we did at the ETNA Community Centre in Twickenham. We designed and manufactured a series of curved steel and timber benches based on our Helston range. The soft, sweeping shapes invite people to come and socialise together.
At Bournemouth War Memorial Homes, individual benches with armrests, based on the Willenhall seat, are arranged in the garden of remembrance to create a peaceful spot.
While larger groups can come together at Arofan House Student Accommodation in Cardiff. Our Wythenshawe bench is a stand-out feature of the courtyard, arranged in a huge horseshoe configuration, with Hemstone benches located along the edge of walkways leading to and from the communal space.

A planter is not just for the high street – we have a range of innovative and contemporary solutions which feel right at home in modern outdoor spaces.
Our heavy-duty Denton planter looks fantastic at the University of Birmingham. The concrete planters, alongside our Fallowfield Benches, provide a stark contrast to the student accommodation building.
At The Forest School, in West Sussex, we’ve built planters into the seating. The Weyburn Curved Bench is great for group seating with the planters providing a natural contrast to the galvanised steel centrepiece.
At the University of Plymouth, the March Planter adds vibrancy to an outdoor social area.
Or our Tree Grilles and Tree Guards are a great way to protect newly planted trees in a living courtyard, just like at Teesside University.

Even courtyard areas can benefit from demarcation and protection from vehicles.
Our bollards are available in a range of stylish designs and materials.
At Wixams, in Bedfordshire, a mixture of root fixed and removable timber bollards help to control access to a play area.
Stainless steel bollards were chosen by the contractors working on the Belong care village in Newcastle-under-Lyme. These help to separate the paved area from the car parking area.
The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore also chose stainless steel bollards for the protection of pedestrians.

Creating an inviting courtyard is just as important as building a place of function and purpose.
With our customisation services, we can deliver seating, planters, litter bins, shelters and bollards which carry unique branding for a location.
Our design and build teams can even come up with unique features to help an area stand out. At St Mary’s Garden Village, in Ross-on-Wye, our Hand Made Places division developed a series of bespoke timber archways.
The archways not only welcome visitors and residents to the new village, they also make up part of a play and recreation area designed for multigenerational use.

Engaging residents and providing new opportunities to socialise is a brilliant use of outdoor space.
At Tresham College in Corby, outdoor table tennis is hugely popular with the students.
While at some residential developments, wellness courtyards featuring outdoor gym equipment, from our Sunshine Gym division, have proved a real crowd pleaser.
At Worthington Lake Care Home, in Wigan, an outdoor gym has been installed to help residents increase their mobility. Users work out in the safety and privacy of the home’s grounds while also benefiting from being out in the open air and being able to chat to their neighbours while they exercise.

A courtyard is far from an extended patio area. With Broxap Street Furniture it can be a really useful outdoor space for people to enjoy and make use of.
To discuss how we can help transform your outdoor space, get in touch today.