Skateable Furnitures
Tom Hawes’ project “came about by recognizing skateboarding as an unstoppable urban pathology.”
Skateable Furniture is a range of benches that encourage skateboarding as a positive activity for youth to regenerate public spaces. The seven benches fit together in many different combinations, and the low back and fortified steel edges allow for many possibilities in terms of “skate-ability”. The benches draw on the visual language of London and are designed to blend into both traditional and modern spaces.
“By virtue of its status as a misuse of public space, and because it is a symptom of defensive design, skateboarding is exceptionally good at drawing attention to the quietly exclusionary nature of modern public space,” explains Hawes. “Older children and young adults are either not considered in urban planning or outright excluded from public spaces. Skateboarders add value to many unused public spaces and regulate possibly dangerous spaces with their presence.”
“The design of public spaces needs to respond to the uses of it by the public. If young people are using these spaces for positive activities like skateboarding, then the design of these spaces needs to evolve alongside these new uses, not discourage and criminalize, alienating and socially excluding the youth.”
October 11th, 2005 at 4:45 am
enculé il m’a volé mon idée le fils de pute.
j’suis amer là.
October 11th, 2005 at 4:58 am
ptdr il m’a piké mes plans a moi ossi :p mais bon c juste un concept apres voir en réalité….. ca réserve des surprises!
October 11th, 2005 at 5:27 am
le jour où on verra ca dans paris…. ca m’étonnerai que je roule encors.
October 11th, 2005 at 5:40 am
une bonne alternative aux anti-skates ;)
October 11th, 2005 at 5:49 am
j’ai pas saisi le texte ? qq1 pourrait expliquer en gros de quoi ca cause en francais plz ?
October 11th, 2005 at 5:52 am
En clair le concept c’est des bancs qui s’emboittent les uns dans les autres, qui sont assez solides pour résister aux divers assaut du temps et des skaters, et qui ne sont pas pret d’arriver en France…. :/
October 11th, 2005 at 6:54 am
oh my god! a dream come true, absolute genius. full respect to whoever’s responsble for that!
October 11th, 2005 at 6:58 am
oui et globalement, c’est un concept pour eviter de marginaliser les jeunes qui skatent :)
October 11th, 2005 at 7:33 am
j’imagine les vieux assis sur le banc a mon avis les jeunes vont les deloger vite fait …
ca va juste devenir un spot comme les autres …
October 11th, 2005 at 11:05 am
sympa…par contre jvoi pas ou est le rapport avec la marginalisation?!
October 11th, 2005 at 11:50 am
i dont think it will catch on
October 11th, 2005 at 11:53 am
en interdisant le skate partout, il faut bien trouver un endroit ou skater,
et forcemment ce sera loin de toute surveillance…
October 11th, 2005 at 12:04 pm
where are they?
October 11th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
yo i like the concept but fuck skateboarding for real
October 11th, 2005 at 12:21 pm
the concept is good but fuck skateboarding fo sho
October 11th, 2005 at 4:56 pm
thats so smart, i love this guy, he knows what hes doing totally. i think its an easy alternative for skaters anywhere.
October 12th, 2005 at 3:02 am
yeah… fuck skateboarding!
October 12th, 2005 at 12:16 pm
mouais le delire c’est que les mairies vont pas investir la dedans elles preferent faire des skateparks histoire qu’on derange pas trop la populace, pasque en plus va t’asseoir sur un banc waxé a la mort…
April 14th, 2006 at 5:28 am
wow am i the only american here?
July 7th, 2006 at 11:15 pm
thats cool, i love that guy