Core77

Atlanta's BeltLine Benches

Orchestra one_studio

aTLANTA bELTlINE PARTNERSHIP

Finalist prototype for all benches to be dispersed along Atlanta's BeltLine. This is a working prototype which was installed and funded by the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership.

Design Team

Project Lead:Tim Keepers of OrchestraONE_Studio

Metal Fabrication: Vass Metalworks

Wood Supply: Eutree Inc.

Photography: Michael Parmelee & CaptisLUX : www.captislux.com

CaptisLUX

Michael Parmelee

CaptisLUX

The city of Atlanta is well known for its railroads and the role they played in its spatial organization. However, a substantial part of its accumulation of wealth and ability to survive during the Civil War is attributed to the output of the local textile factories. Atlanta housed multiple large-volume facilities that were extremely influential to the growth and establishment of the local and neighboring communities.

This bench uses brass flat stock to stitch the two halves of the wood seats together both figuratively and literally. This symbolic performance echoes the movement of the historic textile machines, which moved huge reams of fabric from one large wheel to another as they made their way through the production process. The brass bars also represent how the BeltLine stitches together many Atlanta communities. The structural steel legs, which seem to rise out of the ground, signify the growth and advancement of Atlanta's pedestrian activity throughout the city while the mass of the two seat halves represent a railroad tie to convey the importance this mode of transport had on the city.

The bench's top sections are offset from each other allowing them to interlock when placed side by side. This will create a seat as long as required. The ends also taper to create a special seat or place for children and squirrels to perch. At trail entrances and other important landmarks, a USB port can be hardwired into the bench to charge up to eight phones. In places where wayfinding or pathway light is important solar powered LED lights can be integrated into the core rail of the bench. All wood used in the bench is reclaimed from Atlanta properties. Although not shown here, this bench design can feature back support.

Materials:

* Naval Brass Flat Stock

* Hot Rolled Steel:Flat Stock & Solid Bar

* Locally Harvested Oak

* Blackened Socket Cap Bolts

* Naval Brass Washers

* Galvanized Fender Washers

* Weather Resistant Usb Charging Ports:(4x Bay)

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Comments

Ken K

5 years ago

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I think it’s a nice piece of sculptural work and a lot of work and love went into it … but I have to be honest and say that I think it is not a good OUTDOOR bench.
- The base will catch every bit of windblown trash.
- The wood around the brass crossbars will contract, expand, contract, expand, and split or leave ugly gaps that trap moisture and turn black.
- The heavy beams will sag outward on their relatively small L-brackets, especially if people actually sit on the bench. This will in turn cause the ends and corners of the brass crossbars to pop up and be exposed and scratch people.
- The exposed and protruding cap screw heads are unfriendly, and with erosion will scratch people.
- It’s a very “busy” design, with a million surfaces that will need to be touched up and maintained even if none of the other things go wrong. Who is going to repaint the interior of that base? Who is going to redo the popping-out brass bars? Who is going to deal with all the rusted-out cap screws? That is, it's not as maintenance friendly as an outdoor bench should be.
I think it would be better to promote it as in indoor bench, perhaps in a museum-like setting. (But that won’t solve the problem of the sagging beams.)

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- Tim Keepers
  
  Ken K
  
  5 years ago
  
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  Hi Ken,
  You have some really good comments! The first prototype of the bench was in use and outside for 3 years actually. When designing it we were concerned with exactly the same things you mentioned!
  - For our prototype we painted the legs and obviously needed to touch it up every now and then but final runs are powder coated just as every other commercial steel exterior bench.
  - As for the brass and socket caps we used a product called Permalac which worked amazingly! We were turned onto it by an instillation artist who seals her large brass art sculptures with it before instillation in public parks or plazas. It was incredibly resilient and tough. With that being said production saw the socket caps get powder coated. We also inserted thin plastic separators between the socket caps and the brass washers to prevent galvanic corrosion.
  - In regards to the socket caps scratching you when seated the socket caps are all inset in a deep dato cut in the wood. The tip of the socket caps are both rounded and flush with the front edge of the bench. In doing this your legs will never come into contact with them. Furthermore the legs of the bench will hit your heels before your calf could swing all the way in to make contact.
  - For the insertion for the brass bars on top, the ends of the brass are pointed on the bottom side so when the seat is pushed together, during assembly, the brass embeds itself into the wood. We also used a commercial grade 3M all weather wood and metal epoxy which is used on ocean going sail boats. For production runs we have a slip cut brass bar that locks all the fingers into place.
  - For the wood I would 100% have thought the same thing about the sides flipping forward as there are no pictures of the area in between the two wood halves on this post. There is actually a beam in the middle which ties the seat halves together. This beam is inline with the socket cap bolts on the front. With that being said the seat connection is as follows; The two wood halves are anchor bolted to the base from the bottom and then are bolted together through the front and the back with the socket caps bolts through the center beam. This beam is also sloped in the middle to channel rain water in-between the legs so water will not sit there forever.
  
  In all honesty though, your comments were dead on as far as us having the same concerns early on. I am sure as the bench sits outside for even longer we will learn more.
  
  Thanks Ken for the great comments!
  
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Robert Wilkey

5 years ago

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The oak looks ebonized - did you guys use the acetic acid technique? I have always wondered if ebonizing would actually help prevent UV degradation because the tannins have already reacted and would theoretically be less susceptible to bleaching. I love the look of the blackened oak next to the brass and imagine it will only become more interesting with time.

Where along the beltline is this installed? I really want to see this prototype in person and can't wait for more to be installed.

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- Tim Keepers
  
  Robert Wilkey
  
  5 years ago
  
  Z
  
  2Z
  
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  Hi Robert,
  We sooorrtt of ebonized the wood, but with out the dye. We used a zinc oxide mixture which reacts with the tannens in the wood to oxidize it and give it this color. In oak it turned the color to a sort of purple blue but I have heard with cypress it is a green. With that being said I like where your head's at. We have actually been talking about ebonizing the wood and then everything that is now black would be powder coated white or be plated in a brass color.
  
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  - Robert Wilkey
    
    Tim Keepers
    
    5 years ago
    
    Z
    
    Z
    
    Very cool. I've never tried zinc oxide with tannins, gonna have to experiment around with that now! I thought the blueish tint was just some color distortion in the photos, now I _definitely_ have to see these in person. Thanks for the reply!
    
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Candy Simpson

5 years ago

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I actually love that the bench bottom reminds me of Donald Judd's work....very nice!

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James Garrad

5 years ago

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Love love the seat on this bench but the base seems overengineerered and distracts from the beauty 😕

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BioIQ Atlanta

5 years ago

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This bench is my spirit animal. I'd like to shake hands with its maker. I bet he has a full head of hair and a strong brow.

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