street seats

designLAB participated in the Boston Design Museum Street Seats Competition, creating  a bench from salvaged wood and steel train tracks for the Fort Point neighborhood in South Boston. 

The salvaged steel tracks lie on the ground side-by-side, however they quickly twist or rise out of place. Their distortion evokes ideas of adaptation and change. But purposeful manipulation also allows them to perform a new function – as a bench. The gentle curve of the leading rail supports a variety of resting postures and sitting heights. For this reason, the depth of the bench also varies. In section, the orientation of the rear rail allows the vertical wood supports to spring up out of plum, ideal for a relaxed back angle.  

All the materials for the bench are repurposed. The steel tracks are of the very stock pulled from the road when the Artists for Humanity building was constructed. The salvaged wood is from dismantled oak factory floors. Traditional railroad hardware and fittings hold the wood and steel members together. The two tracks will be welded together for stability and to support the cantilever. The materials are perfect for outdoor use and can easily withstand lots of abuse.