Outdoor chair // Copenhagen Chair

Context

As soon as the first rays of sun and the waves of spring heat reaches Copenhagen. The citizens flock outside and try to soak in as much sun and warmth as possible.

We love being outside in the summer, flocking in the parks, on the harbor front, wherever we can find a ray of sunshine in between the showers of rain.

But besides the public space around Prags Boulevard most people have to sit on benches, the grass, on tree stumps, on stairs, whatever kind of seat there can be found.
There are of course benches in the public space of Copenhagen, but they are often too far apart, and they are usually not quite where you want them to be. Either in the shade, to close to a dusty gravel road, or to close to an overstuffed trash can. And if they are exactly where you want it to be, it’s crowded with people.
This also means that for people that won’t or even can’t sit on the park lawns. We remove a possibility of using our common public space, and the much needed pauses from the more hectic city life.

With the introduction of a a char that can be moved around in the confines of the parks and public space. We can give the users more freedom to decide how they want to use our public space.

Public spaces

The public space of Copenhagen is characterized by the large open surfaces.
The public parks are most often laid out with the large grass surfaces in the middle, taking up most of the area. And on the outside of the large grass surfaces are the gravel walkways. Most often it is by these walkways that the public furniture i.e. benches are located.
The parks are sheltered by rows of trees or bushes as well as fences.

The public spaces are also characterized by large open surfaces. Unlike the parks, the surfaces of the public space are covered with asphalt or natural stone (chaussésten).

The large open space makes it more difficult to take responsibility for the space we inhabit and to make it our own and use the space and feeling comfortable. The open surface does not give the users a sense of shelter from other people.

Theory

The furniture is a proposal for the the problems and opportunities of settling in the open public spaces of the city of Copenhagen.

The furniture aims to develop an understanding and sensitivity for the context. While still giving a new opportunity for people to inhabit and take control over a small part of the public space.

The furniture will create a small node in the larger landscape. And the collective look of the furniture will develop a greater appreciation of the comparison between the open uninterrupted landscape and the more intricate labyrinth of furniture placed on the open surface.

Can we imagine a Copenhagen littered with chairs? Or could it perhaps be chairs placed in strict geometric order? This will be some of the possibilities with the proposed furniture.

Choosing to work with a chair in the public space has been done before. We can easily imagine the look and feel of the furniture in the Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris, and in Bryant Park in New York with their iconic chairs.
In Copenhagen we have an iconic piece of public furniture - created in the late 16th. century, the Copenhagen Bench is iconic in Denmark. But I believe we can inhabit the public space in a way we haven’t seen often in Denmark. And to do this we need to rethink the way we settle in the public space.

The bench is a typical Danish democratic way of setting in the public. We are meant to be close together and forced to inhabit the same furniture as everyone else. The homeless guy can sit next to the retired bank director, and be on equal terms.

With the changes we see in the way people inhabit the urban landscape we should consider giving people more opportunities of taking control over the public space. If someone wants to sit in the sun in the park all day by themselves they should be able to do so. If someone wants to sit close to other people they should be able to do so.

With the flexibility the chair offers we can create and give people more opportunities for using the public space in a way that is more fitting with the way they want it to be.

Materials

Choosing to work with a chair for the public and for outdoor use defines a list of challenges.
The furniture must be durable, not too heavy, so that it can’t be moved around, easily maintained, etc.

The design of the chair has influenced the choice of material. As outdoor furniture need considerable more durability and has to be easily maintained.

Today considerations must also include choices of sustainability. A more expensive less environmental sustainable material might prove to be more sustainable in the long run if less maintenance is needed, and the furniture is more durable and will last for longer.

The choice of material will also influence, and be influenced by how to prevent theft and ensure durability against vandalism.

Considering all these parameters the choice of material is steel. Ø20mm steel tubes and 1.5mm steel plates.

As for finish for the steel I propose 2 possibilities. Either have they sandblasted and given a clear matte lacquer. This makes it possibile to repair small areas of the chair easily.

Photos of prototype building

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Outdoor chair // Copenhagen Chair

Context

Public spaces

Theory

Materials

Prototype

Prototype

Prototype

Prototype

Prototype

Prototype

Furniture drawing

User groups and personas

n of public park in Ørestaden, Amager

Process

Process

Process