by Brianna Crandall — May 25, 2022 — Landscape Forms, a North American designer and manufacturer of high-design site furniture, structure, LED lighting and accessories, recently introduced the Air Collection, a family of lightweight, recyclable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) seats and benches designed in collaboration with its long-time partner Escofet.
The Air Collection’s five seating elements are well suited for adaptable and programmable outdoor spaces, indoor spaces, transition spaces, and on rooftops, decks and balconies. Image courtesy of Landscape Forms
Of value to facilities managers (FMs) working to facilitate work, learning, rejuvenation and collaboration in underused outdoor spaces, the Air Collection is inspired by the concept of “lightness,” both as a physical characteristic and as an aesthetic captured in the playful and colorful presence the collection brings.
Constructed of rotomolded HDPE with hollow interiors, the Air Collection’s five seating elements translate Escofet’s bold, iconic aesthetic to a material that’s light, durable and versatile — well suited for adaptable and programmable outdoor spaces, indoor spaces, transition spaces, and on rooftops, decks and balconies.
The bright and playful aesthetic attracts people to work, rest or study, and the material is designed to be extremely hard, rigid, resilient and resistant to weathering and chemical products like acids or solvents. Image courtesy of Landscape Forms
Landscape Forms President of Site Furnishings & Structure Robb Smalldon explained:
The Air Collection allows us to bring a new energy to these spaces in a really modern, pop-of-color way, but vibrant color is just one aspect of this new energy. These are forms that you’d normally use heavy, robust concrete to create, but because we’re utilizing this hollow HDPE construction, designers can now specify these bold showpieces for a whole new range of spaces and use cases.
The collection contains five complementary yet distinct forms: Extasi, Fortunato, Starfish, Stul, and Twig:
- Extasi Air is a lightweight, low and backless bench that communicates intimacy and comfort through its rounded triangular form.
- Fortunato Air consists of a combinable rounded cube, rectangle, and back modules to make for inviting, ergonomic yet hard-wearing seating arrangements.
- Starfish Air uses its biomorphic, asymmetric radial design to create flexible seating for grouped or individual use.
- Stul Air brings a vibrant and youthful energy to the spaces it inhabits as a lightweight stool, side table, or complement to other Air Collection elements.
- Twig Air is a branching bench system that embodies the concepts of modularity, fluidity, connection and interactivity with its users.
Suitable for outdoor or indoor use, the collection is constructed of rotomolded HDPE with hollow interiors. Image courtesy of Landscape Forms
Landscape Forms Chief Creative Officer, Kirt Martin, pointed out:
The Air Collection represents a bold new design spirit for Landscape Forms — a bright and playful aesthetic that encourages people to consider our work in settings they may not have previously considered. It’s also another great example of how we’re actively exploring new materials, processes and aesthetic concepts that further our commitment to sustainability.
Mono-material HDPE site furnishings like those from the Air Collection set a new benchmark for the sustainable use of materials in the design of outdoor spaces, says the company. The material is designed to be extremely hard, rigid, resilient and resistant to weathering and chemical products like acids or solvents.
Because of this extreme strength and durability, HDPE site furnishings can be surprisingly light, using less raw material in their construction and resulting in fewer emissions due to their transportation, says Landscape Forms. Moreover, HDPE is 100% recyclable, enabling black pieces from the Air Collection to utilize solely post-consumer recycled material, while the whole of the collection can be efficiently and entirely recycled at the end of its usable lifespan due to its single-material construction.
Learn more about the Escofet Air Collection on the Landscape Forms website.
STRATA bench and SHUFFLE lighting system
Landscape Forms also recently announced a fourth addition to its popular STRATA line of concrete and wood seating, the modular STRATA Beam bench, which enables seating configurations in various shapes, and announced a partnership with Schréder to distribute the SHUFFLE technology- and lighting-based system for smart outdoor spaces.
Landscape Forms‘ family of brands includes Kornegay Design, located in Phoenix, Arizona, and Loll Designs, in Duluth, Minnesota. The Kalamazoo, Michigan-based company has an installed base of products around the world. Clients include municipalities, transit centers, corporate, college and healthcare campuses; and familiar brand leaders such as Harvard University, Linked In, New York Central Park Conservancy, Bryant Park, Google, Coca Cola, Oculus, U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), Nike, National Museum of African American History (Washington, D.C.), Barclays Center, Adidas, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Microsoft and Uber.
