The making-of video for Peugeot Design Lab‘s latest project contains no words—it doesn’t need any, since it shows every step of the process: From blasting a huge chunk of volcanic stone from its resting place to crafting a piece of carbon fiber to perfectly fit the rock’s jagged profile. The resulting bench looks like like something that might’ve emerged from the sand in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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Some people put out pails and bins to collect rainwater when it rains. Others, like the folks of MARS architects, put out benches. They’re very different objects, but they serve the same purpose: to collect rainwater which will be used to water plants, wash cars, hose down driveways, and so on and so forth.
So you might be wondering, how does a bench collect rainwater? Well, it’s all in the cushions. The bench MARS came up with features grooves and seams that direct the water into inlet buttons. The collected water is stored in an underground tank and in the aboveground tank (which is, essentially, the bench.)
The benches are available in three capacities: 500 liters, 1,000 liters, and 1,800 liters, each of which is recommended for certain locations to maximize their usefulness.
The smallest unit does not even require any ground work, and is best equipped for roadside installation; the medium size includes an underground tank and is well-suited for gardens and greenhouses; and the largest one is appropriate for public parks and playgrounds.
The bench came to be after MARS was commissioned by the BMW guggenheim lab to join in on the think tank’s vision to come up with innovations that would benefit cities and urban environments.
[via designboom via Likecool]
Benches are just benches, until a huge red clip is attached to one end of it. Then it becomes a Ruilbank, which is Dutch for “barter bench.”
Essentially, they’re there to hold some reading material in place. Whether it’s a book or a magazine or a newspaper, this trusty red clip will keep it in place.
It’s a project by Pivot Creative to get people reading more – and to pass on good reads. From July 28th to September 28th, nine locations areas around Amsterdam will have benches supplied with different reading material from various sponsors, including newspaper Het Parool and the city’s public library.
Passersby are free to read, take, or barter the reading material with something else when they come across it.
Wouldn’t it be fun if someone did a similar thing on our side of the planet?
[via Pop Up City]
The Switch Bench is probably the funnest, quirkiest bench that I’ve seen in years. At first glance, you’ll see that the bench stays true to its name since it looks like a gigantic switch, like the ones you can commonly find on household appliances and voltage regulators.
But the switch (which pretty much comprises the entire bench) isn’t just there for show, because it actually works.
The fun begins when the sun sets. If you happen to come across the bench and, well, want to sit on it, then push the giant switch to the ‘on’ position to illuminate the whole thing. When you’re ready to go, just flip it back to the ‘off’ position and go your merry way.
Because of its design, seating is pretty much limited to a maximum of two, but I doubt anyone would mind because of its sheer ingenuity.
The Switch Bench was designed and created by HIK Ontwerpers.
[via Pop Up City]
It’s hard to find an outdoor bench that’s as versatile as the Bend Bench. I think you can gather that much, even from its name alone. It’s described as ‘part kinetic sculpture’ and ‘part functional public seating.’
What makes the Bend Bench so unique is that its framework allows it to be rotated both horizontally and vertically. The whole design is pretty confusing but just think of it as a combination of merry-go-round and umbrella.
The bench provides back-to-back seating, but one of the seats can also be flipped over to serve as a sort of cover to protect the people seated on the other side from the elements. Pretty neat, eh?
The Bend Bench was designed by Attila Jonas.
[via Yanko Design]
You know how sometimes, there’s only one space left on the bench, and you really don’t want to find yourself sandwiched between a kid throwing a tantrum and a guy eating a Sloppy Joe sloppily? Unfortunately, your choices are only to take that last seat – or remain standing until one of them leaves. And you know that could take a while.
Cue the Flip Bench by Daniel Pearlman, an outdoor bench that’s the only one of its kind since it comes with flippable seats.
If you prefer not to be seated with someone on either side, just flip the seat and take your seat on the other side.
In addition to the plastic, outdoor variant, Pearlmann envisions a stylish indoor, laminated wood and aluminum version for common seating areas as well.
Of course, some people might take offense that you actually flipped the seat on them, but that’s a totally different story.
[via Chair Blog]
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t park my butt anywhere near this thing. It may be fake, but you never know when something is going to come alive through magic and kill you with its razor-sharp choppers. It’s just good to be cautious.
Anyway, if we had more benches like this, I’m sure that we would find that shark bench related injuries are all too common. Even if you just scraped your head on a tooth. This particular shark bench is on display at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand.
I don’t know if they’re playing the Jaws music or not, but they really should. It’s the only safe way to know that you are in imminent danger of a shark attack. It’s a cool feature for a shopping mall though. Imagine if you could climb down into it’s belly for a nap. Though I think they’d have to rescue a lot of scared kids if they allowed that.
[via Obvious Winner]
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