Vestre is a leading producer of city and street furniture. Vestre wanted to introduce a new series of outdoor furniture in an untraditional choice of materials and with an innovative design.

The challenge was to create outdoor furniture that required minimal maintenance for public areas. 

Supportive outdoor furniture

The innovation lies in the use of material, which is steel and fibre-reinforced concrete, as much as in the design. Thanks to a combination of reinforcement techniques, Kyoto stands out as something you might call slender concrete. This is a real material with good surfaces and an elegant and sombre look. Pigments can also be added to the product.

When developing this product, Vestre carried out an environmental analysis that shed light on its carbon footprint. The energy consumption from the production of raw materials to the production of the finished components is included in this analysis. The bench will fit right into a variety of settings, in cities as well as in the countryside.

The jury pointed out that this is the bench that Norwegian forests have been waiting for. It will fit in with new and old architecture and a variety of materials. This is a supportive bench, both literally and metaphorically.

Company: Vestre AS

Project group company: Kristin Schanche, designer - Jan Vestre, General Manager in Vestre - Jan Christan Vestre, Project Manager in Vestre - Thomas Sund, Market Manager in Vestre - Per Mysen, General Manager in Mysen Cementstøperi


Design: Hareide Design

Award / year: Award for Design Excellence - 2011

Category: Furniture design