“Working with a world-class design firm like Designworks, a BMW Group company, is a special opportunity to push boundaries both aesthetically and technologically, and that’s exactly what we did with the Typology Collection,” says Landscape Forms Chief Creative Officer, Kirt Martin. “Typology is about sculptural, conspicuous forms that are functional, but more importantly stand out as works of art. Cada componente en sí mismo puede ser la pieza central de un sitio, pero cuando funciona en conjunto, la impronta de esta colección hace que sea realmente inspiradora".

For Tobias Adami, Creative Director at Designworks, a major design goal for the Typology Collection was to interact with and accentuate urban architecture through the innovative use of form and scale. "In cities we're often lacking visual perspective, limited by a closed-in and claustrophobic view of the world," describes Adami. "So our intention with this collection is to play in both the vertical and horizontal spaces of urban environments, to draw the eyes up into the sky, and to join the two domains with signature design elements both in the air and on the ground."

A través de estas dos visiones rectoras y del profundo nivel de experiencia en diseño, ingeniería y fabricación que comparten Landscape Forms y Designworks, la Colección Typology pone en tela de juicio las ideas preconcebidas sobre iluminación y mobiliario urbanos, creando instalaciones que aportan valor funcional, pero también sorprenden, deleitan y realzan el paisaje incluso cuando no se utilizan.

"Imagine encountering a beautiful piece of art that you can actually touch and interact with, and you're drawn to it, and feel the need to explore it," says Landscape Forms President of Site Furnishings & Structure, Robb Smalldon. "That's the experience we're trying to capture with our new Typology Collection-to first grab people's attention with striking, artful aesthetics unlike anything they've seen before. And then, as they take a closer look, to pique their curiosity as to how what they're seeing was made possible." No doubt, the Typology Collection will provoke questions like "What is this made of?", "Where is that light coming from?" and "Can you really make this shape from concrete?"

In Landscape Forms' largest lighting and modular bench collection introduced to-date, Typology creates a magnetic and immersive user experience. Each piece has distinct and memorable design features, but the overall sculptural quality, the unconventional juxtaposition of form, material and scale, and the artistic use of lighting within each component enable the collection to make a larger, unified statement.

On the ground, the Typology ribbon bench serves as the flowing centerpiece for the collection. Modular segments with varying degrees of curvature enable the bench to meander seamlessly throughout the landscape. Define los espacios, los conecta, guía a los peatones e incluso puede formar núcleos circulares o semicirculares estilo anfiteatro que fomentan la interacción de la comunidad.

On each segment, a thin layer of extruded ultra-high performance concrete drapes like a mantle over cast metal supports to express an elegance, refinement and seemingly impossible lightness. Los bordes suaves y redondeados invitan a la comodidad y la relajación. Contrasting the smooth, radiused form of the concrete profiles, the cast metal supports and end caps-with faceted surfaces like cut gems-communicate heft, angularity and precision in manufacturing. Las protuberancias en el lado inferior de los perfiles de concreto se enclavan de manera perfecta en una estructura de soporte, lo que permite que los componentes se unan sin tornillos. The central gap between the two concrete profiles serves as a mounting point for optional backrests, armrests and extended functional surfaces to be implemented in strategic locations throughout the installation. Las luces integrales que miran hacia abajo, y que emanan desde dentro del banco con listones, iluminan el espacio alrededor del objeto y crean la ilusión de que toda la estructura está casi levitando.

In the sky, Typology ring lights and stick lights reach upward, artfully illuminating the space above and guiding people to the installation. Like ethereal floating halos, Typology ring lights are stunning fixtures recognized instantly from almost a mile away. Una tira circular de luces LED crea un aro sólido de luz ambiental que, cuando se la mira desde abajo, es como un espejo hacia el cielo. Las luces tipo poste Typology rompen con la tradición en iluminación de manera tal que el poste en sí mismo es una fuente sólida de luz. These vertical columns of warm white or colored light stake claim to the site, accompanying the Typology ribbon bench across its diverse configurations, and creating prominent visual landmarks that draw people into the site.

The Typology Collection reflects Landscape Forms' decade-plus long relationship with Designworks -a true collaboration between leaders in design whose expertise, processes and cultures continue to enhance and complement one another. "Science, design and art-Designworks is a well-rounded partner who brings it all," says Smalldon. "La manera en la que los equipos de diseño de producto y los equipos de ingeniería a menudo intercambian los roles a lo largo del proceso (los ingenieros ayudando a informar las decisiones de ingeniería y los diseñadores ayudando a informar las decisiones de ingeniería), habla del nivel de confianza mutua y pasión compartida en la que se basa esta relación".

"It's always a joy to work with Designworks," adds Martin. "Cuentan con nuestra máxima confianza para ejecutar de manera consistente en un alto nivel para proyectos ambiciosos como este. But most importantly, Designworks is like family to us-we look forward to our weekly calls, excited to see what inspirations and spontaneous solutions will arise. I'm already eager to see where this partnership leads next."