Seating on Highcliffe seafront
We are often requested to create something out of timber that we haven’t done previously, but this one was a new one for us.
BCP Council had worked with a local award-winning artist to create unique seating for two cliff-top shelters. Giving residents and visitors an attractive, user-friendly sheltered space to enjoy the stunning views over Highcliffe beach.
It was important the seating be accessible for all, so the seating needed to incorporate lower sections for children to sit and spaces for wheelchair users to enjoy the views.
Below are the initial designs showing how the artist wanted the seating to look.
The requirement was to give a floating seat effect. We needed to make sure the seat would be structurally sound so quite a bit of research had to be done to determine how to ensure the seat could withstand not only constant use but also varying weather conditions.
There was no defined way of making the seat work, so after a lot of trial and error we decided to create a steel structure which would support the timber slats both vertically and horizontally but would be hidden from sight, giving the impression the seating was indeed floating.
Below is an image of how the artist wanted the shelter and seating to look on completion.
The timber slats were manufactured using sustainably sourced Iroko, this durable hardwood is very strong and stable and can withstand a multitude of weather conditions. Although, we did protect the timber with Osmo UV Protection Oil it does contain natural oils which can help protect it from rot and fungal growth and it requires a low level of maintenance.
We were delighted with the finished result. Below are before and after images showing the visual improvement the seating and painting has made.
We cover a wide area including Andover, Bournemouth, Brockenhurst, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Fordingbridge, Hedge End, Kings Worthy, Lymington, New Forest, Portsmouth, Ringwood, Romsey, Salisbury, Southampton, Stockbridge, Whiteparish, Winchester
