Client:
Velocity Worldwide
Project details:
Located on a triangle of land between the busy shopping areas of London Road and High Street, Bligh’s Meadow is an infill development on the site of the town’s former bus station and car park, housing over 30 stores and eateries in the heart of Sevenoaks, Kent. Built in a style and scale that complements the historic character of the town, Bligh’s Meadow is set out on a series of pedestrian walkways and thoroughfares that connect into the existing urban fabric of the town. The centre of the site is where Bligh’s Walk, Blacks Walk and Brewers Lane converge to form a small open square that has previously been vacant for most of the year, apart from around Christmas when a large tree is placed there. The client wanted to enliven this space more at other times, by offering seating to give visitors a place to socialise and also to increase dwell time on the site, but for the furniture to be freestanding and movable so the space can be readily cleared to allow temporary events to be set up.
Elements XL benches were the ideal choice for Bligh’s Meadow, being deep enough to be stable without fixing down (and also allowing sitting on from both sides) and in weighing over 100kg each, heavy enough to not be readily moved by the public. Plate end support versions were chosen as this allowed a stencilised reinterpretation of the Bligh’s Meadow logo to be laser cut for brand reinforcement purposes. The plates were supplied in Corten steel, chemically weathered to provide a rich colouration and patina, and sealed to prevent the oxidation from washing off onto the paving and also staining on clothes.
Visit the Furnitubes International website for more information on Bligh's Meadow Shopping Centre, Sevenoaks