LANDEN / PUBLIC SEATING / VITRA EDITION /
2007
LANDEN is a large freestanding structure which defines a place to sit/stay outdoors - in public. While rejecting the inappropriate patterns of domestic furniture it proposes a structure more accurately modelled on the context of its destination: the city environment. The main structure is made from heavy gauge steel profiles and metal grillage - all coated in plack paint. Its physical presence and strong visual reference engages the public in an immanent experience of urban reality. LANDEN is a meeting hub, a retreat/shelter ... an anchor point.

Users of LANDEN climb two steps onto an octagonal platform which is elevated 60cm off the ground. The platform is paved with industrial rubber matting to provide a resistant but comforatble surface for sitting. A large circular cut-out in the middle of the platform allows for open legroom onto a lower suspended platform. Four outward leaning metal shields form a protective fencing/enclosure around the seating area.

Project assistant: Sami Ayadi (KGID)
Prototype execution: Ludwig Michl GmbH
Produced by: Vitra Edition