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. Some people have a real natural talent for designing products, services, and other miscellaneous items that really go above and beyond in their usefulness. Check out this collection of interesting products and creations that totally hit the nail on the head.

Sympathetic Architecture

It’s Not For People But It’s Still Friendly

Parent + Child library carrel, so you can do your research and keep your little one occupied. Fairfield Library, Virginia, USA.

Friendly on the eyes

Pool and Water Slide, Egmont Højskolen (“Folk High School”), Western Denmark.

Wheelchair friendly sandboxes, various

Wildlife Overpass, Trans-Canada Highway, Banff National Park, Canada. The 38 passes and fencing have reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by more than 80%

Homeless bench, Vancouver, Canada

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

In case this counts: braille on the rail to describe the view

Modskool – Design Museum winner for best architecture 2020, India

Teetertotters Slotted Through the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall by Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello

In Asia nobody has to worry about falling into the subway tracks.

Hedgehog Highway (Dolly Parton called these out this week), UK

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.

Old City, Jerusalem added 4km of wheelchair-accessible routes in 2019 (and cleared it with UNESCO)

The tiles around our apartment complex is made up like the enemies in Space Invaders, Sweden

Cover for bicycle saddle so it doesn’t get wet when it rains

A friendly urban cycle path in Girona

Wall of Kindness, Norwich, Vermont, USA

These two coin lockers that are easily accessible in a wheelchair, Austria

Circular footbridge over roundabout, Shanghai

This drinking fountain allows you to gill your bottle, and saves the extra water for passing dogs.

These public benches are reversible, so you can choose to look at people, or boats.

Bioswale, Seattle WA. (A channel to concentrate, clean and move stormwater)

A bridge providing a bench in the fences in Shanghai

Safe Haven Baby Boxes

Good news for a change: friendly architecture

This gate allowing horses and pedestrians not cars

Crab migration bridge, Christmas Island, Australia