Bronze Street Furniture · 2021

Fold Bench

by Chris Tsui

Bronze A' Design Award 2021 in Street Furniture
CLIENT: Whiteground
Estimated Number of Design Views: 21,167
Verification code F379AA573B · Verify this award

View at A' Design Award Press Release

Colors

About Fold Bench

Fold is a public bench that also serves as a table. The design is formed from a piece of plywood folded back on itself at an angle. The fold creates a second surface that can be used as a table, without added extensions or appendages. The form remains simple and sturdy for use in public spaces. The plywood is steamed and shaped in a custom built mold, and bronze is used with it. The overall dimensions are 1480 mm in length, 1010 mm in width and 730 mm in height.

About the Bronze A' Design Award

Fold Bench is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Fold Bench is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Fold Bench splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.

Press Kit

Unique Properties: What if a bench is also a table?
Fold is an interpretation to the question above, to fulfil multiple functions yet retain a simplistic and sturdy form to be used in the public. This piece of furniture is not much more than a piece of plywood folded back on itself at an angle. Yet, this simple manipulation creates another surface that can be used as a table, without sacrificing its unanimous form with extensions or appendages.
Dimensions & Packaging: Overall dimensions: 1480(L) x 1010(W) x 730(H)mm
Tags: plywood, bending, bench, curvature
Production Technology: Plywood and Bronze
Steam the plywood and put into a custom build mold for bending
Design Challenge: The most difficult part is bending the plywood in a specific angle which is also comfortable for the purpose of sitting with a table. and the placement of the legs are the second challenge to maintain the sturdiness while to balance with the proportions and ratio with the plywood.
Inspiration: Public bench design always strives for functionality but neglected the aesthetics, and also mostly only caters for the purpose of sitting. What if you are holding a coffee or you are looking for a place to sit down with your book or laptop? You don’t have a choice but to go to the café or restaurants. It’s time to think out of the box and create a piece of furniture that aesthetically addresses the convenience and flexibility of how a public bench can do for the people.
Project Duration: The project staretd in early 2019 and completed in production in late 2019.
Operation Flow: Feel free to explore your uses and gestures with this table+bench.
Image Credits: Image#1: ©Lit Ma & Hong Kong Design Centre
Image#3: ©XU Liang Leon
Image#4: ©XU Liang Leon
Image#5: ©XU Liang Leon