Introducing the Air Collection: Escofet’s Iconic Forms Captured in a Whole New “Light”
When you 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 in weight, an attribute that would seem to run counter to the Barcelona-based design firm's trademark medium.
The Air Collection’s five seating elements translate Escofet’s bold, iconic design to a material that’s lightweight, durable and versatile.
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 our long-standing collaborative relationship 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 Air Collection features forms that you’d normally have to use really heavy, robust concrete to create,” says Landscape Forms President of Site Furnishings & Structure, Robb Smalldon. "But because we’re utilizing this hollow HDPE construction, designers can now specify these bold showpieces for a whole new range of spaces and use cases.”
The Air Collection is 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, a bright and playful aesthetic that uses soft and inviting forms to draw the user in and welcome interaction. This attitude of brightness is also reflected in the wide array of colors achievable in HDPE as well as the option for internal lighting which enables the translucent white pieces from the Air Collection to light the night with a dramatic glow.
The translucent white pieces from the Air Collection can light the night with a dramatic glow.
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 centers around the concept of “lightness” and the potential it holds to elevate a new range of settings.
The Air Collection’s exploration of “lightness” extends beyond the physical realm, alluding to this common playful and casual spirit and, moreover, an ideology of “treading lightly” on Earth through the more responsible and sustainable use of material. "The Air Collection by Escofet represents a bold new design spirit for Landscape Forms—a bright and playful aesthetic that encourages people to consider us in settings they may not have previously considered,” says Landscape Forms Chief Creative Officer, Kirt Martin. "It’s also a great example of how we’re actively collaborating with design partners around the world who value new materials, processes and aesthetic concepts that further our commitment to sustainability.”
The Air Collection explores an ideology of “treading lightly” on Earth through the more responsible and sustainable use of material.
With its mono-material HDPE construction, the Air Collection sets a new benchmark for the sustainable use of materials in the design of outdoor spaces. One of the US’s most widely used plastics, HDPE is extremely hard, rigid, resilient, and resistant to weathering and attack from chemical products like acids or solvents. Because of this extreme strength and durability, HDPE site furnishings can be 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 efficiently and entirely recycled at the end of its usable lifespan due to its single-material construction.