Civil Street Furniture - Bench

November 2010

The Civil Bench, part of a range under development with Forms + Surfaces is a rugged urban seat with fluid, organic form. Each two-seat module is composed of a continuous stainless steel tube with a perforated seat of anodized cast aluminum. The tubing divides the bench into front and back offering endless seating permutations when the benches are ganged together. Soon to follow are bike racks, waste bins and other street furniture items.

The Civil range takes inspiration from the work undertaken with NYCMTA and NYCDOT on the busbulbs on Lower Broadway where benches are provided as an amenity between the side walk and a step up to the busbulbs.

The name finds its root in the public service aspect of its use. It invites people to sit side-by-side but gently separates them, encouraging rather than demanding dialogue. This is in direct contrast to a typical bench, where a lack of separation can be off-putting to strangers while sitting in-line is not conducive to conversation either.

The seat perforations draw upon the vault lights prevalent within SoHo in New York and vary in depth and to suggest seating position on the bench.