29 Prime Examples of Very Thoughtful and Incredibly Helpful Designs

Nathan Johnson Published 03/11/2024 in ftw

Not all designs are created equally. And let this be a lesson to anyone hoping to get into the field that user function should always be your top priority.

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1.
Sympathetic Architecture
2.
It’s Not For People But It’s Still Friendly
3.
Parent + Child library carrel, so you can do your research and keep your little one occupied. Fairfield Library, Virginia, USA.
4.
Friendly on the eyes
5.
Pool and Water Slide, Egmont Højskolen (“Folk High School”), Western Denmark.
6.
Wheelchair friendly sandboxes, various
7.
Wildlife Overpass, Trans-Canada Highway, Banff National Park, Canada. The 38 passes and fencing have reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by more than 80%
8.
Homeless bench, Vancouver, Canada
9.
In Norway you get a small amount of money for recycling bottles/cans. They’re often collected by poor people, homeless etc. A lot of our trash cans has these holders around them so people don’t have to search through the trash to collect them
10.
In case this counts: braille on the rail to describe the view
11.
Modskool – Design Museum winner for best architecture 2020, India
12.
Teetertotters Slotted Through the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall by Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello
13.
In Asia nobody has to worry about falling into the subway tracks.
14.
Hedgehog Highway (Dolly Parton called these out this week), UK
15.
this anti-climbing Fence on the” Suicide Bridge “(colloquially) in a small town England. there are also signs with suicide Hotlines on them. not a fun part of architecture but definitely helpful/saving lives.
16.
Old City, Jerusalem added 4km of wheelchair-accessible routes in 2019 (and cleared it with UNESCO)
17.
The tiles around our apartment complex is made up like the enemies in Space Invaders, Sweden
18.
Cover for bicycle saddle so it doesn’t get wet when it rains
19.
A friendly urban cycle path in Girona
20.
Wall of Kindness, Norwich, Vermont, USA
21.
These two coin lockers that are easily accessible in a wheelchair, Austria
22.
Circular footbridge over roundabout, Shanghai
23.
This drinking fountain allows you to gill your bottle, and saves the extra water for passing dogs.
24.
These public benches are reversible, so you can choose to look at people, or boats.
25.
Bioswale, Seattle WA. (A channel to concentrate, clean and move stormwater)
26.
A bridge providing a bench in the fences in Shanghai
27.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes
28.
Good news for a change: friendly architecture
29.
This gate allowing horses and pedestrians not cars
30.
Crab migration bridge, Christmas Island, Australia

1.
Sympathetic Architecture
2.
It’s Not For People But It’s Still Friendly
3.
Parent + Child library carrel, so you can do your research and keep your little one occupied. Fairfield Library, Virginia, USA.
4.
Friendly on the eyes
5.
Pool and Water Slide, Egmont Højskolen (“Folk High School”), Western Denmark.
6.
Wheelchair friendly sandboxes, various
7.
Wildlife Overpass, Trans-Canada Highway, Banff National Park, Canada. The 38 passes and fencing have reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by more than 80%
8.
Homeless bench, Vancouver, Canada
9.
In Norway you get a small amount of money for recycling bottles/cans. They’re often collected by poor people, homeless etc. A lot of our trash cans has these holders around them so people don’t have to search through the trash to collect them
10.
In case this counts: braille on the rail to describe the view
11.
Modskool – Design Museum winner for best architecture 2020, India
12.
Teetertotters Slotted Through the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall by Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello
13.
In Asia nobody has to worry about falling into the subway tracks.
14.
Hedgehog Highway (Dolly Parton called these out this week), UK
15.
this anti-climbing Fence on the” Suicide Bridge “(colloquially) in a small town England. there are also signs with suicide Hotlines on them. not a fun part of architecture but definitely helpful/saving lives.
16.
Old City, Jerusalem added 4km of wheelchair-accessible routes in 2019 (and cleared it with UNESCO)
17.
The tiles around our apartment complex is made up like the enemies in Space Invaders, Sweden
18.
Cover for bicycle saddle so it doesn’t get wet when it rains
19.
A friendly urban cycle path in Girona
20.
Wall of Kindness, Norwich, Vermont, USA
21.
These two coin lockers that are easily accessible in a wheelchair, Austria
22.
Circular footbridge over roundabout, Shanghai
23.
This drinking fountain allows you to gill your bottle, and saves the extra water for passing dogs.
24.
These public benches are reversible, so you can choose to look at people, or boats.
25.
Bioswale, Seattle WA. (A channel to concentrate, clean and move stormwater)
26.
A bridge providing a bench in the fences in Shanghai
27.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes
28.
Good news for a change: friendly architecture
29.
This gate allowing horses and pedestrians not cars
30.
Crab migration bridge, Christmas Island, Australia