Vestre

On October 22, 2021, the doors to the new Edvard Munch Museum by the waterfront in Bjørvika in Oslo were finally opened. The museum will be a global destination for experiencing Edvard Munch's art and life – but also other art exhibitions and cultural experiences such as music, film, art talks, and various types of performances. With thousands of daily visitors, high demands were placed on the museum's seating furniture to be both extremely durable and robust, but at the same time comfortable and blend into the museum's interior.The new museum is a very prestigious project for Oslo and an inviting meeting place that is characterized by openness. The vision is to expand the idea of ​​what a museum can be, and offer the visitors completely new experiences and perspectives.The 13-storey and 58-meter-high building was designed by the Spanish architectural firm Estudio Herreros and includes eleven exhibition halls. Herrero's design is based on the idea of ​​a tower-shaped museum, where the main functions are organized vertically. With its impressive height and the distinctly leaning top section, the tower is a very visible landmark from all sides. It gives the Oslo skyline a new shape, but bows respectfully towards the surrounding city. The façade, which is clad in recycled, perforated aluminium panels with varying degrees of transparency, gives the museum an enigmatic and ever-changing presence that reflects the fantastic lighting conditions in Oslo that change during the day and the different seasons. In the old harbour area Bjørvika, the new Munch Museum is also accompanied by Snøhetta's opera building and the new library designed by architectural firm Lundhagem.The museum's main hall has extraordinary acoustics and can accommodate up to 700 people while the hall on the 12th floor has a roof terrace with a unique view of the city and the fjord. In addition, there is a cinema in the foyer that can be used for more intimate gatherings. The museum has around 28,000 objects – of which 1,200 paintings and over 7,000 drawings and sketches – created by the extremely productive Edvard Munch in its collections and for the first time, these works will truly have the space they deserve.The museum also wants to deepen and enrich the experience and insights further by inviting visitors to play and express themselves artistically and offers a range of tours and activities for both young and old.Food is also a natural part of the experience. At the very top of the building is a first-class restaurant. In addition, there is a café on the ground level next to the fjord and a bar with a fantastic roof terrace. The kitchen is run by the restaurant group MUMA, known for restaurants like Taco Republica, Ben Reddik, and Mangelsgården.Read more at the link below.

The Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People in London is set to become a world-leading facility for mental health care, research, and education. Located at King’s College London’s Denmark Hill campus, the centre brings together clinical expertise and academic excellence in one purpose-built space.Designed for children, young people, and their families, the eight-storey centre is the result of a close collaboration between King’s College London, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and the Maudsley Charity — with input from service users shaping the project from the very beginning.A calming, inclusive environmentWith generous natural light, soft materials, acoustic control and outdoor terraces on every floor, the centre is designed to feel welcoming, intuitive, and safe. To support this vision, Vestre supplied a range of outdoor furniture carefully selected to blend into the landscape while encouraging connection and everyday use. Vroom and Code were chosen for their playful and modular configuration, including Vroom’s adaptable and customisable radius to fit the curved planters.Built for people and planetJust as the centre prioritises the long-term wellbeing of its users, the same values guided the selection of furniture. With certified materials, long product lifespans, and a clear commitment to sustainability, Vestre’s contribution supports the centre’s wider mission: to create a space that cares deeply — both socially and environmentally.A new standard in mental health designThe Pears Maudsley Centre is more than a building — it’s a shift in how we think about healthcare spaces for young people. Vestre is proud to contribute to a project that redefines what inclusive, healing environments can look and feel like.Project: Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young PeopleLocation: London, UKClient/collaborators: King’s College London, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Maudsley CharityLandscape Architect: Growth Industry LimitedFurniture: Code and Vroom

Republic is a new campus at East India Docks: the design is centred around well-being at work with a focus on daylight and ventilation, direct connections with nature through the planting in the biodiverse central gardensThe first phase commenced in October 2016 and the public realm was completed towards the end of 2018The campus will ultimately provide 650,000 sq ft of high-quality affordable workplace, a wide range of amenities, generous public realm and extensive green spaces.BLOC sun bench can be used on its own or joined in rows and back to back. It is also available with a short seat.VROOM bench is a modular furniture system that can be extended in endless combinations. The bench comes in two widths, with or without a backrest and armrests. Straight, angled and curved connection elements mean that the seats can be joined to create long benches, formations, large and small circles, and letters.All furniture in RAL 1018Client: Trilogy Property and LaSalle Investment ManagementArchitect: Studio RHELandscape architect: Remapp Landscape Architects

In 2016 award-winning landscape designers, The Edible Bus Stop, were commissioned by the Brixton BID to deliver a legacy installation for the Brixton Design Trail as part of the London Design Festival.Their brief was to create a parklet at the entrance to this famously foreboding building. The space had been habitually populated by street drinkers and labelled an anti-social environment by the residents and neighbouring businesses. The brief was to challenge the notion that the addition of seating and creating a space to dwell would increase anti-social behaviour and, on the contrary, that good design could improve perceptions of safety and empower a sense of wellbeing in a community.During the summer, planting beds were refurbished and many edibles and herbs, including fruit trees, were planted. Several Vestre Stripes elements were installed to punctuate the space with communal seating. The parklet was an instant success and quickly populated by residents of all ages, passers-by and visitors to local businesses. As a result, the ‘test-bed’ has now become a permanent legacy; an exemplar of how local stakeholder commissioning and intelligent socially minded design can be an agent of social change to create spaces of genuine community value.Client: Brixton BIDLandscape Design: The Edible Bus StopAddress: Southwyck HouseColdharbour LaneBrixtonLondonSW9 8TX

The Strand is a major east–west route through London, leading from Westminster Abbey to St Paul’s Cathedral. Following a recent transformational project, what was previously a busy, hostile, traffic-filled street has been transformed into a place for people, where its 12 million annual visitors are now able to dwell and interact with others in a way not previously possible.Strand Aldwych has been reimagined from a heavily polluted four-lane road into a vibrant and healthy pedestrian-friendly public space. This truly remarkable project showcases the rich local heritage of an important central London location through adventurous and innovative urban design. Its unique historic architecture can now be more easily admired from a peaceful garden setting, and a safe, democratic, and inclusive public space of 7,000 m² has been delivered.From smog to smilesStrand Aldwych was once one of the capital’s most congested and polluted areas, but through a complex project spanning many years, this busy street has been transformed into a welcoming new civic space.The project has been described as a rescue mission — for both the stunning architecture and its approximately 700 stakeholders, whether university students and staff, tourists, residents, or local workers. Walking and cycling were previously extremely unpleasant and potentially dangerous, as pedestrians were forced onto narrow pavements by a huge volume of traffic and parked buses.Following a competition win in 2018, LDA Design was commissioned to design a setting for a new cultural and education district that embraces two renowned universities, Somerset House and other important cultural institutions, the Australian and Indian embassies, and two historic churches.The transformation has been developed in partnership with local stakeholders, including the Northbank BID. One of the BID’s key improvement areas, the project is the first step in a wider vision to improve public spaces in this part of London, with a focus on sustainability, well-being, and visitor experience.Interestingly, the design team references Times Square in New York (another inspiring space furnished by Vestre) as a case study for the incremental change required to convert a traffic-dominated place into a place for people.A green and pleasant landThe closure of the Strand to vehicular traffic has made way for a brand-new public space that serves the needs of a diverse local community. The project is currently in a meanwhile phase of 3–5 years, allowing user feedback to be incorporated into a final design in future. The ultimate vision for the area is to become a global creative and cultural quarter for art and knowledge-sharing by the surrounding institutions.Social interaction is now positively supported, set amongst new green infrastructure to improve health and well-being. Gathering, eating, and working are all encouraged within several resting areas that are partially shaded by grand plane trees, meaning relaxation is now possible for the first time.Pedestrians and cyclists are encouraged through increased cycle parking and improved safety at junctions. Enhancements to wayfinding also encourage visitors to walk through and explore the area at a slower pace.Over 1,000 m² of biodiverse planting has been included to provide year-round interest, attract and support pollinators, and cool the urban heat in summer. Air quality has been vastly improved thanks to both reduced traffic congestion and the addition of more than 40 new trees, which also provide spring blossom and autumn colour.Seating, seating everywhereThis significant project demonstrates a dramatic shift in how we view our city streets. For the first time, it effectively links some of London’s most important cultural and educational centres through a new social space that neighbouring institutions can share.Although still accessible to delivery and embassy vehicles, and for the historic processional route from St Paul’s to Westminster Abbey, pedestrians and cyclists now take priority most of the time.Several zones of contrasting character have been created to encourage both relaxation and activity along the sunny northern side. With the study of proxemics in mind, varying styles and arrangements of seating have been designed to encourage particular behaviours throughout the space. In total, the seating provided will support 700 people, whatever their preference — being alone or together, working, chatting, relaxing, or even rainbow-colouring matching to their clothing!St Mary-le-Strand (a historically important protected church) is now surrounded by a peaceful and beautifully planted sanctuary garden. Here, visitors can come into close contact with nature and enjoy the seasonal cycle. In front of the church is a collective dining and workstation area furnished with groups of seats and tables to support eating and studying. The furniture in these areas is painted a copper-brown to contrast visually with the paving and complement the neighbouring architecture.VoicesCannon Ivers, LDA DesignCllr Geoff Barraclough, Westminster City Council’s Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and the Economy, said:“Anyone familiar with that part of Westminster will know just how awful it was for pedestrians, who would take their life in their hands every time they tried to get from one side of Aldwych across to Strand… Schemes like this one demonstrate the inherent value of high-quality public space, and how they can benefit residents, workers, and visitors — helping to give London a global competitive edge and ensuring the central activities zone is for all, not the few.”Products57 × APRIL GO chairs 7013/7014 in 57 different rainbow RALs (custom fixing to allow bolting to the ground)9 × VROOM square table 63710 × VROOM narrow table 6358 × CODE square module bench 261653 × PORTO bench 401/402/406 (mix of standard and customised lengths) plus 423/425 arm and backrests8 × PORTO MK 406 customised wall mounted Above in RAL 8029 Pearl CopperProject detailsClients: Westminster City Council & Northbank Business Improvement DistrictLandscape architect: LDA DesignEngineer: WSP Contractor: F M ConwayLocation: Strand Aldwych, Westminster, LondonSector: Public realm, education & culturalAwardsAwards to date include: Winner of the 2024 Civic Trust Award; Winner of Public Space in the 2023 Developer Pineapples Award; New London Awards – Winner in 2023 Public Spaces category; Winner of the Mayor's Award for Good Growth; Highly Commended in Best Heritage or Cultural Project at the 2023 Building London Planning Awards; Building London Planning Awards 2023 – Highly Commended for Best Project for Sustainable Planning; Landezine International Landscape Award – 2023 Public Projects.

Times Square in New York is frequented by more than 460,000 people every day. It is the world’s most popular tourist destination, attracting 42 million visitors a year.Times Square is a small area of Manhattan in New York. Its centre, where Broadway intersects with 42nd to 45th Streets, is a bustling cultural and commercial hub. Many of New York’s most famous theatres are located there, as well as TV stations (including MTV), banks, tourist attractions and other media companies, like Reuters and Viacom.Times Square is the only area of the city that requires tenants to install neon signs on the outside of their premises, turning it into a spectacular icon for New York City. Times Square is named after The New York Times, which moved its headquarters there in 1904. In 2010, Norwegian architects Snøhetta were awarded the contract to redesign the square.Developer: Times Square AllianceArchitect: Snøhetta