Strand Sculptural Benches

Following almost three years of development, millimetre in partnership with LDA Design, have produced and installed three separate 35 metre long sculptural timber benches as part of the transformation of the Strand into a pedestrianized public area. The ‘Activity Lawn’ bench is located at the eastern end of the Strand whilst the remaining two, the ‘Garden Room’ and the ‘Spectator Edge’ benches, are to be found at the western end. As well as providing seating for people to enjoy the space, the benches also enclose vehicle mitigation barriers, electrical cabinets and capture existing raised planting.

The complex yet flowing forms have been produced in Accoya using a combination of traditional woodworking techniques alongside our in house 7 axis Kuka robot. The benches are formed of multiple 900mm wide galvanized steel frames to allow for fabrication, transportation and installation. Each frame is clad in individual Accoya timber panels, carefully orientated to allow for movement, and are bolted together to form the completed pieces.

For this challenging installation, millimetre sought to 3D scan the Strand ensuring the pieces follow the topography of the surroundings to within 10mm throughout.

Materials

27.5m3 of Accoya

595 cnc’d panels

135 bespoke galvanised steel frames

2872 separate parts

10mm tolerance over 100m bench

2017 days labour

Partners

LDA Design

Westminster Council

Artura Design and Engineering

F M Conway

WSP

Photography: ©Glasshopper*