Element 7 - Seat
Seat Working on a live project was both exciting and challenging. Our wall element was situated so that it would face the river with a path running next to it. This meant that, although the element would not be visible from inside the common garden, the wall would create the first impression of the pavilion to runners, cyclists and dog walkers walking north on the river path, so we wanted to create an intriguing design that immediately communicated the values of the garden. The proposal we were given was to create a wall and seat element. We started this project by drawing inspiration from the site and experimenting with models to see how we could incorporate a seat element into a garden wall which could blend in with the environment and blur the boundaries between building and site. We were drawn to the idea of organic forms and the bird’s nest shape which led to the creation of a cocoon-like, sheltered environment for the users to sit in. This idea developed into a more rigid, stable seat while retaining the organic form on the woven outside.
Previous page Detail from installation Photo by Helena Robless Opposite page Axonometric of outer and inner face of the design proposal Gail Lewis
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