Glasgow Central Seating 2019
Modular furniture concept in development at Jarvie Design for Glasgow Central Station.
The Space
Glasgow Central Station is an historical space that has transformed in phases as it aged into the modern world. The combination of its classic stone exterior, wood panelled shops and architectural glass canopy fills it with a sense of majesty and natural light.
The Previous Work
Before my time with the team, Jarvie Design worked with Glasgow Central to create the popular Mackintosh150 Light Pavilion as part of the festival celebrating Art Nouveau designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The success of this partnership prompted the station to approach our team with a new project - the design of a new seating solution.
The Brief
The station's present layout accommodates 128 people with individualized, modular seating. A new solution should be similarly versitile but better reflect the space, be more easily repaired and obscure sightlines as minimally as possible.
The Concept
Conceptual sketches revolved primarily around ideas in modularity - how modules could be combined in a distinct and interesting way and how individual components could be replaced or repaired.
The Design
Much like the space itself, the station's seating is meant to be shared by the public. Non-individualized benches bookended by aligning armrests give users the ability to choose how they wish the interact with the product. Modular components like interchangeable backrests allow maintenace crews to control how they wish to set up the space, as well as respond to damage & vandalism.
The Details
The defining feature of the benches is their dynamic, hieroglyphic form. Modern when standing alone, decorative when aligned in a group, the contrast in curvature and straight structural elements is a reflection of the architecture of the space. They unite to create a strong sense of design that would compliment the existing CRM Light Pavilion and Glasgow Central Station well.
This project is still in development.