When you first think of Escofet, a few things come to mind—the company’s incredible history, their seminal Mediterranean aesthetic that influences design globally, their mastery and innovation in cast concrete, and the robust and unmistakable presence of the forms they create. One thing that doesn’t immediately come to mind is “lightness,” an attribute that seemingly runs counter to the Barcelona-based design firm’s trademark medium.
Enter the Air Collection, a family of site furnishings that captures this profound history, unmistakable aesthetic, and deep appreciation for urban public spaces, and presents it in a whole new light. Opening up a new chapter in Landscape Forms’ long-standing partnership with Escofet, the Air Collection centers around the concept of “lightness” and the potential it holds to elevate a new range of settings. Constructed of rotomolded high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with hollow interiors, the Air Collection’s five seating elements translate Escofet’s bold, iconic design to a material that’s lightweight, durable and versatile—perfectly suited for adaptable outdoor spaces, indoor spaces, transition spaces, and on rooftops, decks and balconies.
The collection’s different and uniquely expressive forms—Extasi, Fortunato, Starfish, Stul, and Twig—are brought together by their friendly dispositions. Extasi Air is a low, 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 hardwearing 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. Finally, Twig Air is a branching bench system that embodies the concepts of modularity, fluidity, connection and interactivity with its users.
The Air Collection’s exploration of “lightness” extends beyond its physical presence to an ideology of “treading lightly” on our Earth through the more responsible and sustainable use of material. As HDPE can be semi-translucent, all-white pieces offer the added option of internal lighting to create a dramatic glow at night. And as one of the US’s most widely used plastics, HDPE is extremely hard, rigid, and durable. Because of this extreme strength and resilience, the HDPE site furnishings are surprisingly light, using less raw material in their construction and resulting in fewer emissions due to their transportation. Importantly, HDPE is also 100% recyclable, enabling black pieces from the Air Collection to utilize solely post-consumer recycled material, while the whole of the collection can be entirely recycled at the end of its usable lifespan.