OFFICE 290

For its 100th anniversary, the UNESCO World Heritage site Skogskyrkogården cemetery in Stockholm (SE) designed by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz selected OFFICE in collaboration with Finnish design company Artek and Swedish architecture firm studio näv to design and produce their new exterior furniture.

With the ambition to develop comfortable and simple furniture that could be easily arranged across the site, the team has distilled a bench and a stool to its essence. This furniture grows out of a parallel attention to the site and its many users. While the users range from staff to more or less frequent visitors, the grieving person is of central concern. Concerned with their interrelationships the bench and stool were examined in the context of proximities - levels of closeness. The design exploits the inherent qualities of its materials. The galvanised steel is robust and survives the harsh environment during winter and the cork is the most natural water-repellent material being also soft and warm to touch. This meeting of hard and soft materials embraces the client’s desire for a beautiful, stable and empathetic design.