User submission

Pay & Sit – The Private Bench

German designer Fabian Brunsing created a very unique Pay & Sit Bench for those who hate sharing their seats in a park. This is one design fail that we don’t want to see in your local park.

In its normal state, this weird bench is all covered with metal spikes. If you want to sit and not hurt your rear end then you have to slip a 50 Euro cent coin (~66 cents US). The spikes then retract and you can comfortably sit for a fixed period of time before the alarm goes off. A few seconds after the buzzer, the spikes rise again.

Part art installation and part protest piece, the project highlights the absurdity of anti-homeless spikes seen in some cities. This urban design strategy, also known as hostile architecture, has been called into question for punishing the homeless rather than helping them. With cities expanding due to urbanization, green spaces are also becoming increasingly in demand. Is Fabian’s project a way of solving both issues? We hope not. (via demilked)

Pay & Sit - The Private Bench