When you think of Escofet, a few things come to mind—the company’s incredible history, their seminal Mediterranean aesthetic that influences design globally, their mastery and innovation in cast concrete, and the robust and unmistakable presence of the forms they create. One thing that doesn’t immediately come to mind is lightness in weight, an attribute that would seem to run counter to the Barcelona-based design firm's trademark medium.

Enter the Air Collection, a family of site furnishings that captures this profound history, unmistakable aesthetic, and deep appreciation for urban public spaces, and presents it in a whole new light. Opening up a new chapter in our long-standing collaborative relationship with Escofet, the Air Collection centers around the concept of “lightness” and the potential it holds to elevate a new range of settings. Constructed of rotomolded high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with hollow interiors, the Air Collection’s five seating elements translate Escofet’s bold, iconic design to a material that’s lightweight, durable and versatile—perfectly suited for adaptable outdoor spaces, indoor spaces, transition spaces, and on rooftops, decks and balconies.

"The Air Collection features forms that you'd normally have to use really heavy, robust concrete to create," says Landscape Forms President of Site Furnishings & Structure, Robb Smalldon. "But because we're utilizing this hollow HDPE construction, designers can now specify these bold showpieces for a whole new range of spaces and use cases."

The collection's different and uniquely expressive forms-Extasi, Fortunato, Starfish, Stul, and Twig-are brought together by their friendly dispositions, a bright and playful aesthetic that uses soft and inviting forms to draw the user in and welcome interaction. This attitude of brightness is also reflected in the wide array of colors achievable in HDPE as well as the option for internal lighting which enables the translucent white pieces from the Air Collection to light the night with a dramatic glow.

Extasi Air is a low, backless bench that communicates intimacy and comfort through its rounded triangular form. Fortunato Air se compose d'un cube arrondi, d'un rectangle et de modules arrière combinables pour offrir des sièges accueillants, ergonomiques mais résistants. Starfish Air utilise son design radial biomorphique et asymétrique pour créer des sièges flexibles pouvant être utilisés par une ou plusieurs personnes. Avec son tabouret léger, sa table d'appoint ou utilisée comme complément aux autres éléments de la collection Air, Stul Air apporte une énergie dynamique et juvénile aux espaces. Finally, Twig Air is a branching bench system that embodies the concepts of modularity, fluidity, connection and interactivity with its users.

The Air Collection's exploration of "lightness" extends beyond the physical realm, alluding to this common playful and casual spirit and, moreover, an ideology of "treading lightly" on Earth through the more responsible and sustainable use of material. « La collection Air d'Escofet incarne une nouvelle idée de design audacieuse pour Landscape Forms, une esthétique brillante et ludique qui incite les gens à nous prendre en compte pour des environnements qu'ils n'auraient peut-être pas envisagés auparavant » remarque Kirt Martin, directeur de la création de Landscape Forms. « C'est aussi un exemple parfait de comment nous collaborons activement avec des partenaires en design du monde entier, partenaires qui attachent de l'importance aux nouveaux matériaux, processus et concepts esthétiques renforçant notre engagement en faveur du développement durable. »

With its mono-material HDPE construction, the Air Collection sets a new benchmark for the sustainable use of materials in the design of outdoor spaces. One of the US's most widely used plastics, HDPE is extremely hard, rigid, resilient, and resistant to weathering and attack from chemical products like acids or solvents. Malgré cette résistance et durabilité à toute épreuve, le mobilier d'extérieur en PEHD est étonnamment léger, nécessite moins de matières premières pour sa fabrication et génère moins d'émissions liées à son transport. Importantly, HDPE is also 100 % recyclable, enabling black pieces from the Air Collection to utilize solely post-consumer recycled material, while the whole of the collection can be efficiently and entirely recycled at the end of its usable lifespan due to its single-material construction.