In 'Be Seated', Laurie Olin writes of his long-standing interest in public seating in parks and civic spaces. He shares his insights into seemingly ordinary elements of these places, and how they intersect with our individual lives and experiences. An expert treatise on a niche topic, Olin's analysis of the importance of public seating goes beyond their aesthetic or comfort value. He explores how public seating influences our social conduct, our role as citizens, and our establishment of place and community. AUTHOR: Landscape architect Laurie Olin lives in Philadelphia, where he has taught at the University of Pennsylvania for forty years. His award-winning designs include Bryant Park in New York, the Getty Center in Los Angeles, and the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
In 'Be Seated', Laurie Olin writes of his long-standing interest in public seating in parks and civic spaces. He shares his insights into seemingly ordinary elements of these places, and how they intersect with our individual lives and experiences. An expert treatise on a niche topic, Olin's analysis of the importance of public seating goes beyond their aesthetic or comfort value. He explores how public seating influences our social conduct, our role as citizens, and our establishment of place and community. AUTHOR: Landscape architect Laurie Olin lives in Philadelphia, where he has taught at the University of Pennsylvania for forty years. His award-winning designs include Bryant Park in New York, the Getty Center in Los Angeles, and the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
Landscape architect Laurie Olin lives in Philadelphia where he has taught at the University of Pennsylvania for forty years. His award winning designs include Bryant Park in New York, The Getty Center in Los Angeles, and the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
"...Be Seated is three books in one: first, the narrative
encompassing the history of outdoor seating down to current design
practices--Olin's and others; second, almost 50 years' worth of his
endearing, squiggly ink and watercolor sketchbook renderings, with
handwritten commentary, interleaved between text pages, making his
points actively visible. Finally, he includes photographs of
contemporary parks, squares, and other public places. The effect is
richly cumulative when read or studied in sequence."
--Architectural Record
"It's not just the drawings. It's not just the mixture of
architectural, sociological, and firm history. It's not just the
straightforward stating of design principles and ideas about public
space. Rather, the moving quality of the book lies in its recording
of a specific concern in the life of a renowned landscape
architect, one of the most important of our era." --Landscape
Architecture Magazine
We don't think much about public seating: We spy an empty bench in
a park or a vacant chair in a town square and we deposit ourselves
on its accommodating surface. Renowned landscape architect Laurie
Olin, however, has spent a lifetime reflecting on how and where we
sit, especially outside. The delightful volume "Be Seated" (Applied
Research + Design, 213 pages, $34.95) contains his ruminations on
the nature and design of public places for hanging out, the ideas
behind his commissions for such spaces as Bryant Park and Columbus
Circle in New York City, and a brief history of public seating
(until the emergence of the Piazza Signoria in Florence in the
1400s, people mostly plunked themselves on the ground). The book is
generously supplemented with Mr. Olin's charming sketches and
disarming observations: "An individual approaching a chair will
often move it slightly, even if barely an inch or two, as an act of
taking possession before sitting on it."--Ann Landi "Wall Street
Journal What to Give: Books on Design"
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