Designed by Gustafson Guhrie Nichol (GGN) and produced in collaboration with Landscape Forms, UrbanEdge is a collection of landscape framing and furniture elements for urban spaces. The project responds to the demand for more outdoor public spaces with an interest in less formal, more welcoming and effective use of urban locations. UrbanEdge pairs GGN’s experience in designing urban spaces with Landscape Forms’ expertise in developing beautiful site furnishings that address issues in urban environments; built to perform and endure under conditions of high-usage. More images and architects’ description after the break.
UrbanEdge’s elements are multifaceted and work together in various combinations. The suite of furnishings focuses on the functionality of spaces and the facilitation of a wide range of activities. UrbanEdge is a tool for designers to create unique yet functional sites; defining edges and transforming inactive corners into outward oriented settings that interface with the urban fabric. It constructs places for orienting and organizing, resting and reflecting, meeting and greeting, people watching and taking in the view. It can be used to create curbside transit stops and “eddies” along sidewalks where people step in and out of the flow; to develop niches and focused social settings within larger spaces; and to enrich experience in outdoor spaces with dynamic and kinetic furniture elements that suit the way we interact today.
GGN took inspiration from social interactions that occur in different types of places – lunch rooms, living rooms, transit stops and playgrounds – and extracted their relaxed, informal spirit to design furniture elements that enliven their surroundings. The UrbanEdge family members are the MAX Trellis; JESSIE Rail; GUS Planter; OLLIE Small Seat; SOPHIE Large Seat; BERNIE Bar Height Seat; and STELLA Table. Frames include the trellis, rail system and planter. The core elements are the seating and table pieces that live within defined spaces and activate the center, enhancing the experience of place.
UrbanEdge’s elements are multifaceted and work together in various combinations. The suite of furnishings was created by designers for designers, and focuses on the functionality of spaces and the facilitation of a wide range of activities. The different pieces can be combined in inventive ways to activate outdoor settings and provide multiple opportunities for people to interact with in the same space over time. UrbanEdge is a dynamic resource for maximizing under-leveraged sites, designing vibrant, integrated urban settings and creating a sense of place.
