Brighton Library

Brighton Jubilee Library Seating by Caroline Barton

Detail, Construction, Installation - Marc Thomas

The benches for Brighton library were a commission won by Caroline Barton - the idea was to combine timber and acrylic forming a sculptural bench. A total of two hundred and forty individual profiles were cut from timber and acrylic each piece being 25mm thick, these then formed two benches 3.5m and 2.5m in length. Individual pieces were placed alternately upon four 30mm diameter stainless steel tensioning bars, once all together the screws were tightened to a specified load.

Ice blue cold cathode lamps were placed inside, along their lengths the benches were sealed using fair faced timber panels. Once complete the pieces were sculpted into their final shape and sealed using a marine sealant. Finally they were delivered to site and craned into their final resting places.

2005 Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award