Urban Seat. Located on the banks of the Grand River, the newly constructed Riverwalk draws inspiration from geographic and historic context.  The Riverwalk cantilevers off a historic seawall and flume, adjusting in design with each kink of the structure below. To resolve each of these hinge points, the park design further unfolds, enveloping a variety of intimate spaces unique to each point.

Dynamic movements, transitional spaces, and deliberate pauses celebrate the Riverwalk experience.  Integrated urban seating ties all of these moments together, responding to specific urban riverfront context and further reconciling the geometry of the historic seawall.

The seating element originates as an 18 inch wide concrete band stemming from the water’s edge. As the Riverwalk changes directions or turns in response to the historic seawall, the concrete band gracefully rises from the pedestrian surface and pivots to become a bench, only to re-fold back down to the ground and return to the river’s edge.

In plan, these meandering concrete bands frame fields of exposed aggregate concrete.  This concrete is composed of natural Michigan aggregate readily found in the Lansing area – and remnant of glacial deposits

The result is an urban seating element that is integral to the Riverwalk design and uniquely linked to its riverfront environment. (more…)