Fuseproject, the San Fransisco design firm headed by The Big SHFT subject Yves Béhar, has teamed with Landscape Forms to create MultipliCITY, an innovative collection of sustainable outdoor furniture. The flexible system includes two benches, a table, a bike rack, path lights, and garbage/recycling cans.
The system avoids bulky pieces that are tricky to ship, favoring flat-packed structures and hardware that can be shipped to easily and at a lower cost. Landscape architects can then source horizontal surfaces from local outfits and arrange the units in whatever layout best fits the site.
“We started to think of a systemic approach where structural elements are fixed, such as feet and brackets in cast aluminum,” explains Béhar. “MultipliCITY allows for local materials and local taste to be expressed in the furniture, giving architects the ability to make it unique every time, while lowering shipping and carbon costs. Our material choices reflect the intent of the system.”
Of the pieces themselves, the most innovative may be the bike rack, which features a shelf to rest a bag, phone, or keys — things that today’s cycling commuters carry. “We wanted to create things that were more responsive to the way people ride bikes today. For instance, they have more luggage when they go to work than for a ride in the park,” Béhar says.
(via Co.Design)