Landscape & Urban Design Issue 16 2015 | Page 37

Streetlife Benches Wave to the Future With benches of the Rough&Ready Range, the Long&Lean Bench and the special designed Olympic Wave Bench throughout the park, Streetlife has been a partner in one of the biggest transformation projects of London’s near history. Last month marked the ten year anniversary of London winning the bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Since that moment, an immense project with architectural statements and unique landscape architecture has been created to serve this historic venue in 2012. And… it’s still developing. The Park was from the beginning the spill of an ambitious transformation project to revive the former industrial area. The Olympic Games in London are over, but there is plenty more to come. Towards 2030 the environment will grow further and bloom as East London has never done before into a lively and active neighborhood, with some of the best transport links in the city. The Park is set to be one of the most desirable residential locations in town. Streetlife is proud to be part of this unique piece of contemporary landscape of international significance and able to contribute to the quality of the urban life in the park. Due to the minimal design, the Rough& Ready Range affords a contemporary appearance, making this one of the favorite categories in the Streetlife Collection. The R&R range is sturdy and robust and incorporates 3 principle themes: Street Furniture, Tree Products and Bridges & Decking. A Streetlock® system is incorporated in the support design. The optional backrest is convexly planed and can be fixed at various positions. In the Olympic Park, Streetlife delivered R&R 5 which are connected per two in the length. The Long&Lean Benches have flat seats made of extremely durable FSC® red brown hardwood. The benches come in two widths, so you can sit either towards 1 side or 2 sides (back to back). The slats are reversible and can be used on both sides. Backrest are attached by the stainless steel Streetlock® comb system. L&L benches are placed among other in front of Stadium in the Olympic Park. The Olympic Wave Bench was designed in cooperation with Hargreaves Associates, LDA Design London and Arup. A variety of long configurations have been installed by the Water Works in Stratford. The generously dimensioned, slightly curving bench systems are constructed of hot-dip galvanized steel supports and 100% FSC® hardwood slat modules. The supports are anchored to underground bases. The use of FSC® hardwood with all the benches fits in well with the natural character of the environment. With these 4 different designs, Streetlife was able to deliver a total furniture concept for the Olympic Park, while sustainability goes hand in hand with esthetics and diversity. People can hang out with each other or just sit down on Streetlife furniture. While being functional, the Streetlife designs are also intertwined with the park layout. Hikers & visitors are invited to relax and enjoy the magnificent applied green scenery. www.streetlife.nl