Blue Architecture Studio Relies on the Fabric of the Urban Environment to Complete its Street Furniture

In a bid to encourage the act of congregation and therefore community in our cities, B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio‘s new project is a range of ‘parasitic furniture’ that relies on the fabric of urban spaces to complete its journey into fully functioning pieces. The collection of tables, chairs, benches, hanging baskets, notice boards and stools need the railings, pillars, steps, and bollards of the city to root themselves. The pieces are constructed from bamboo and are built in blocky geometric forms with missing legs or hooks to link themselves to those parts of the city that protrude so invitingly.

The pieces intend to allow people to gather in areas where a lack of furniture doesn’t seem to initially foster a sense of comfort. By hooking chairs, tables, and benches to those parts of the city that can be utilized, the collection – named Symbiotic Urban Furniture – allows temporary communal space to be formed.

The simple forms readily connect with the city, with their wide legs and chunky reinforcements designed to securely wedge against walls and steps. A portable hanging basket can even be hooked on a railing to add a touch of greenery to a space. The bamboo is covered in a laminate to achieve a level of weather resistance that allows the furniture to remain outside long term. Speaking on the project, the Beijing-based studio explains, “Most modern cities have gradually lost their local texture and “protrusions. We have lost our ability to shape cities, and our lives have become regimented under efficient operating rules. The interaction between people and cities is no longer as diverse as it used to be. With the decrease of individual activities, the transient sense of home has also disappeared.”