RRRolling Stones, conceived by HANNAH, is a moveable outdoor seating system made from 3D-printed concrete. The designers exploit the standard ergonomics of a functional chair to create durable, mobile outdoor seating. RRRolling Stones’ playful design encourages creative interaction and emboldens park visitors to configure them in original arrangements based on preference and need: linear benches of various lengths; in small clusters; or as solitary seats dotting the landscape.
The RRRolling Stones seating was prototyped and printed at the Cornell Robotic Construction Laboratory in Ithaca, New York. Computer-aided manufacturing allows for possible mass customization of similar but subtly tweaked forms. Executed in layers of a special cement mixture reinforced with rebar, the seats’ striated surfaces reveal an incremental manufacturing process. During printing, the seats’ interior is supported with a bed of gravel, enabling the creation of their cantilevered forms. A layer of gravel remains imprinted on each chair’s interior surface, giving it a geologic character.
RRRolling Stones was commissioned by Socrates Sculpture Park and the Architectural League of New York. RRRolling Stones was the winner of Folly / Function, an annual juried competition challenging architects to design and build a large- scale project at Socrates Sculpture Park. Jointly directed by The Architectural League of New York and Socrates Sculpture Park, the program addresses the intersection of architecture and sculpture in public space.
HANNAH is an experimental design practice for speculative and built projects across scales, addressing subjects of architecture and urbanism. The office, led by Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic, focuses on contemporary building practices and utilizes specialized novel material and fabrication methods.