The TCO of Color: How a Smart Specification Reduces Lifecycle Costs
The true cost of street furniture is not the purchase price, but the sum of maintenance, repairs and replacement over its entire lifetime. A smart design, based on sustainable asset management, is the key to a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Summary
Discover how to maximize the lifespan of colored urban furniture and minimize management costs by making the right choices in material, coating and design from the start. We provide concrete tools to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and safeguard the value of your investment. How do you ensure that a design decision made today does not become an unexpected budgetary surprise in ten years?
Design Not for the Inauguration, but for the Next 15 Years
Every public‑space project enjoys a ceremonial unveiling. But the real test is not day one — it is the thousands of days after: rain, sun, heavy use, road salt, and potential vandalism. Focusing solely on the initial purchase price inevitably leads to high and unpredictable long-term costs..
The only way to work sustainably and cost‑effectively is to reverse the process. Begin not with aesthetics, but with the end: management, maintenance, and reparability. Ask yourself these three questions before you choose a single color.
1. How do we guarantee long-term color quality and structural integrity?
The greatest threat to urban furniture in our regions is corrosion, often hidden initially from the inside. A “beautiful” color that begins to flake after three winters due to hidden rust is a capital mistake rooted in a wrong technical specification.
The Solution: Specify a System, not a Coating
The key to long life is a duplex system: the steel substrate is fully hot-dip galvanized first (per ISO 1461), and only afterwards is a high-quality powder coating applied. These two layers act synergistically and provide decades of protection. In high-stress locations — think coastal areas (salt), busy roads (road salt and air pollution) — such a system is often the most appropriate, durable choice. Quality labels such as Qualisteelcoat offer an objective assurance of correct application.
Knowledge that Makes the Difference:
You know system choice is essential. But which corrosion class (C3, C4 or C5 per ISO 12944) applies to your project location? The whitepaper provides example formulations with standard references to demand a durable coating system in your specification.
2. What do we do in case of damage, wear or vandalism?
A damaged element in public space gives a neglected impression and high frustration for the maintenance team. The traditional reflex — replacing the entire object — is costly and far from sustainable. The modern approach is to design for repair.
The Solution: Demand “Design for Disassembly”
Focus on products with a modular structure. Elements most prone to wear or vandalism, like wooden slats, seats, backrests, armrests, should be individually replaceable. This requires bolted rather than welded connections. In addition, a maintenance log per project is indispensable. In it, exact RAL/NCS color codes, batch numbers, coating specifications and supplier details are recorded. At a repair later, the technical service can order exactly the right spare part or correct touch-up kit, saving time, guesswork and failure costs.
Knowledge that Makes the Difference:
A logbook is crucial. But what does an efficient maintenance plan look like? The whitepaper offers an overview of indispensable logbook elements, example formulations and guidelines for circular design that optimize your asset management.
3. How do we keep repair and management costs predictable and low?
Every manager’s ultimate goal is a reliable multi-year budget without unexpected spikes. This becomes impossible if the initial product choice is based solely on the lowest price.
The Solution: Manage by Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
The TCO includes the full lifecycle cost: purchase + installation + scheduled maintenance + unexpected repairs + final removal or reuse. A product that is initially 15 % more expensive, but modular in design and equipped with a superior coating system, has a significantly lower TCO. The investment pays back through fewer repairs, longer life, and the possibility of circular reuse. This is a compelling argument for any financial decision‑maker.
Knowledge that Makes the Difference:
Lowering the TCO is a strategic choice. But how do you translate this into concrete requirements in your specification without restricting the market? The whitepaper provides guidelines not only for color, but also for sustainable asset management and municipalities’ circular ambitions (SDGs).
Stop designing for day one. Start designing for decades to come.
Make your projects exemplars of sustainable and cost‑efficient management. The whitepaper “Color that Performs” gives you all the technical and strategic tools to maximize lifespan and reduce Total Cost of Ownership.
Download the Whitepaper & Lower Your TCO
Further Reading
- The 3 Mistakes That Put Your Project Budget at Risk : Learn how to proactively avoid the costliest pitfalls.
- From Context to Specification: A Step‑by‑Step Plan for Color That Works : Follow a structured method for a guaranteed successful color plan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The lifespan of high-quality steel street furniture, properly specified, can reach 20–30 years or more. It depends on the coating system and the corrosion class of the location. Servibo’s philosophy focuses on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), where long lifespan more than compensates the initial investment.
You specify maintenance‑friendly furniture by requiring modularity and repairability. For example, require that wear‑sensitive parts (such as seats) be individually replaceable. Servibo’s sustainable management approach includes concrete contract formulations, which we provide as examples in our guide.
A duplex system is a two-layer protection for steel: first the product is hot-dip galvanized (ISO 1461), then a powder coating is applied. This combination offers superior and long-lasting corrosion protection. Servibo considers this system the standard for projects where durability and a low TCO are essential.
You make maintenance costs predictable by steering the procurement on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) rather than only the purchase price. Choose modular products with proven longevity, and archive all product information in a maintenance logbook. This is the core of Servibo’s approach to smart asset management.
The corrosion class (per ISO 12944) of a location — e.g. a coastal area (high class) or a dry inland zone (low class) — determines the technical requirements of the coating you must specify. Higher corrosion exposure demands a more robust protective system. Servibo’s approach is always to tailor the specification to local conditions, a process we clarify in the whitepaper.
Yes, absolutely. Circular furniture is designed for long life and reuse. For example, steel products can be stripped and recoated after decades of use for a second life. Within the Servibo philosophy, Design for Disassembly is a key principle to bring circularity into practice.
Other Questions?
Do you have additional questions or would you like personal advice on the application of add-on benches in your city or municipality? Our team is ready to think along with you and recommend the right solution. Click below on Contact Us and discover how together we can future-proof your public space.