Carmuirs Pocket Places

Meristem design helped contribute to the Pocket Places project at Easter Carmuirs Primary School in Scotland by designing, fabricating and installing vibrant street furniture modules. Easter Carmuirs Pocket Places is supported by funding from the Scottish Government through Sustrans Scotland’s Pocket Places programme and delivered in partnership with the Safer Community Youth Action Project, Easter Carmuirs Primary School, and Falkirk Council. The programme was designed to create safer, more accessible and engaging spaces for pupils. We collaborated with Sustrans and Falkirk Council to bring this project to life and help encourage active travel, play and community engagement.

This project aimed to make pedestrian and school routes safer and more accessible for children and parents. To reflect the needs of the school, one of the main priorities was to make the space flexible and engaging for the community to use.

The project included modular street furniture components arranged in a linear fashion, following a honeycomb structure. The units are as follows:

• Modular seating units (10 units, 400 mm tall with backrests)

• Planters: 5 tall (600 mm) and 4 rectangular (1700 x 600 x 600 mm)

• Stepping stones with rubberised surfaces (200–500 mm tall)

We designed, fabricated, and installed modular seating and planters that can be arranged in flexible layouts, supporting play, rest, and community interaction. The installations were informed by the community to make sure the project reflected the needs of those who use the space the most. We made sure our design was practical, engaging and inclusive for both students, parents and the surrounding community.

The installations have transformed the school grounds into a more engaging and playful environment. Pupils now have spaces to interact outdoors, while colourful seating and planters add character to the surroundings. These features support learning, encourage movement, and provide long-term benefits for the school community.