Backless Bench for Large Plaza

BEEK design in Belgium has put together a cool bench series. As far as I can tell the series is called ensemble. They are not as flexible as I would like but I think their arrangement offers a variety of seating and social options. The design would complement almost any large open plaza. They need to offer options for backs and armrest. If I used them, I keep thinking that I will need to have a least 50% of them meet ADA which could be a whole other post, but a reality designers must grapple with time and time again.

Planter + Bench

Mixing two different garden elements together, in this case a bench and planter, make for refreshing design when done well. I have not seen this item in person which is always a bit dangerous, (I have been burnt before on poor quality furniture that looked great in the photos) but this looks like a fun garden bench. The planters seem a bit too small for boxwood's long term survival in the garden and depending on the location maybe through the winter, but I could easily see annuals or perennials working as well. As for the small table, I think the grass needs more soil to survive (The current photo is computer generated), but I like the idea. I always thought it would be fun to do something like this to create a vegetated pool table. I found these items at MadinDesign.

parckdesign Competition Results

Earlier this year, Pro Materia and Bruxelles-Environnement organized an open site furniture design competition for Jardins du Fleuriste Park in Brussels called parckdesign (Link: Competition Site). The competition was initiated by Evelyne Huytebroeck, Brussel’s minister of environment and energy. Of the 71 entries received, 5 were selected by a jury of 17 professionals. I could not find any information on their website as to the rules or awards for the competition. All of the entries were benches, so I assume creating a bench was a prerequisite. They definitely had a great response and receive a number of interesting solutions. I was disappointed with the winning solutions. They obviously were not concerned with the act of sitting. They seemed to be more concerned with form and were rather mundane and/or uncomfortable. Of the winning entries, the one I liked most was Breath. It offered users a means of getting an alternative vantage point in a public space.

Many of the designs that were not chosen offered more seating choices and comfort while still providing visually interesting designs. The five entries that I thought were more interesting included the following (Links are to the summary of each entry found on the competition website):

• Ntree: This solution created a striking sculptural element that could be used to frame views while providing a great place to sit and have a conversation.
• Bracelet d'arbre: At first, I thought this was ridiculous, but the more I thought about it, this solution is addresses those times that people would like to sit on the grass, but forgot their blanket. I realize the panels would likely kill the grass, but it could offer a unique pattern of use in the landscape.
• Treecuzzi: I like the versatility of this piece. The ability of sitting around a circle in a group in the interior or sitting individually on the outside edge was a good solution.
• Banc brut: I thought this bench looked comfortable. I also liked how the pieces could be arranged in different configurations.
• 2many: This piece offered various choices for sitting including laying on the grass. I love the integration with the landscape.

The competition site is worth checking out. You can see all of the submitted entries. They even include photos of the fabrication process of the winning entries (link to fabrication photos).