Carmela Bogman and Rogier Martens have designed a new kind of outdoor furniture that can be pumped out of the pavement by the inhabitants.
Hydraulic system allows the furniture to be fixed at any height. This means that you can decide whether you want to create a bench or a picnic table.
After use it can be pumped back and it will disappear into the ground.
The first Pop Up was installed in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
To ensure safety, several control keys were spread among the locals in the neighborhood. The keys give access to the pumping system.
For more cool designs, check out: 15 Creative and Unique Benches
Domini
A little pointless… But cool
Mar 12th, 2011
the sneeze
Kinda neat, but what happens when you get caught under one of them when they go down. Babies beware
Mar 12th, 2011
Soleil
ew! so dirty.
Mar 12th, 2011
gunneos
Third picture: would you sit/eat/rest on something people walked/cycled all over on?
Mar 12th, 2011
miggy
can you just say something good for a change rather than criticizing everything you see here and say its bad. That really doesnt help.
Mar 12th, 2011
chiggly
Wow, that’s a really sweet idea. I think it’d be better if they sorta put a mini-fence/signs prohibiting people to walk/jog/run/cycle/drive/hop/skip/travel in anyway over it to prevent it from getting dirty.
Mar 12th, 2011
Modhawk
This is an awesome idea, it can be used at low traffic areas. Great for skaters who’d love to take a break.
Mar 13th, 2011
danetrain05
I think this would be cool with vending machines. Maybe even toilets, though they would lock in place until sensors detect nobody inside. Could be really cool.
Mar 13th, 2011
Danyell
But, why?
Mar 13th, 2011
Deanna
why??
Mar 13th, 2011
Shirley
It gives rise to the idea of the use of space.
Mar 13th, 2011
AndySixbvb
Cool, but like Chiggly said, they should put a fence around it.
Mar 13th, 2011
Z
Imagine if someone got their leg or hand stuck in their while it was closing. Or if a squirrel was under it. Think of getting of your bike to sit down and finding a squashed bird under your bench. Or if someone forgot to close it for like a couple months and came back and unknowingly closed it with a wasp nest under it…
Mar 13th, 2011
Stephan
cool but….i agree with Z
Mar 13th, 2011
gunneos
@miggy: no i can’t, not if i think its unnecessary/can be improved/ugly. and this falls right in that venn diagram, sorry.
the fence thing will work to keep people from walking all over it, but then so will an ordinary, non-pop up bench. same area, right?
as for “To ensure safety, several control keys were spread among the locals in the neighborhood. The keys give access to the pumping system.”, i say: too much trouble just to “save” a bit of space.
Mar 13th, 2011
zahraa
continues change for public space’s scene
Mar 14th, 2011
Elphi
People there probably have the courtesy to avoid walking over the area, knowing that it’s a pop up table and seeing the change in color.
Interesting idea, but not the most practical.
Mar 14th, 2011
Z
A follow up on my first comment-
Spikes should pop up when it’s not being used. Or have an electric current going though it. Or it could open like a trap door with a pit underneath. Or it could be like an ejector seat and catapult who’s ever on it 50 feet. Or when the benches are up, a vacuum can turn on and suck whose even on it into the PIT. After a while, people will start to call them “the screaming benches”
Mar 14th, 2011
Junnie
@the sneeze:
I read your comment and seriously lol’d. Plus, I’m at work so it was extra awkward. Thanks for that, bro.
Mar 14th, 2011
Juzzi
Just needs a little refinement. like a sliding ‘door’ when closed, so people can walk over it and it doesn’t get dirty. If you can’t walk over it, then there’s really no point to the whole thing
Mar 14th, 2011
Rebekah
@z lmao
Mar 17th, 2011
Alelis
a fence would in fact defeat the purpose of an open space, for that they can just use regular furniture
Mar 21st, 2011
Pete
This is neat, and very cool as art, but completely impractical. I agree with others here.
There are also issues with stones, lunch trash, and other things that might get stuck under the benches and interfere with their closing. Without extra drainage, rain will pool under there and promote mosquito (and other nasty) growth. That’s a real problem around here. Of course, rain may just collect into the pump system, which would be another problem.
As far as foot traffic, looks like this was placed right at the end of a crosswalk, pretty much guaranteeing heavy (for the area) traffic. In cities around here, that would mean gum, trash, dog crap and other lovely things on the table or bench.
Loss of air pressure (unless you have a spectacular system, it’s going to leak, especially with extra pumps around the neighborhood) could cause someone to get stuck under the table (foot, coat etc.)
Over time, as the table gets bent up from foot traffic (ever see the metal grates on a sidewalk in a large city?) or the stones around/under it raise up and drop with frost heaves, the table will stop closing correctly and will become a tripping hazard.
So, looks really cool, is very unique, but is not practical, IMHO. It’s like those home makeovers on HGTV: looks really cool when they finish, but falls apart in 6 months.
Mar 22nd, 2011
Danny Thomas
A pop up bench?? Why bother, can’t tax money go to something of better use! Like a youth club for kids . . .?
Apr 21st, 2011
Amy White
Wonder how much it cost? It is pretty cool though, never seen anything like it before!
Apr 21st, 2011
plop
SUPER DANGEROUS !
Aug 14th, 2011
Take a seat
To all those who are worried about safety and want to bubble wrap their children… read the captions… “To ensure safety, several control keys were spread among the locals in the neighbourhood. The keys give access to the pumping system.” This is an awesome piece of multi-functional street furniture.
Mar 31st, 2012