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Siebke’s Slate Bench, Botanical ­Gardens, Oslo

This bench in the Botanic Gardens is the result of a simple student assignment: Make a public bench using only one material – slate.

Architect: Hedda Fjermestad Aase and Cecilie Lande Andersen
Published 04 Sep, 2014
 
The challenge of making a bench using only slate resulted in a circle around one of the trees in the Oslo Botanic Gardens.

The challenge of making a bench using only slate resulted in a circle around one of the trees in the Oslo Botanic Gardens.

The 42 x 42 cm slate tiles have no foundation, and are only held in place by their own weight and the circular layout.

Slate tiles, detail.

Slate tiles, detail.

Elevation of tree with section of the slate bench.

Site plan. The bench is located in the arboretum of the Oslo Botanic Gardens.

Completion: 2013

Address:
Sarsgate 1, Oslo

View it on the map

Photo:
Henrik Lande Andersen and Cecilie Lande Andersen

This bench, made from 4,2 tonnes of slate tile circling a 159-year-old Turkish hazel tree, was built by two ­architecture students from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design for the 200th anniversary of the Botanical Gardens.

The structure is self-supporting, uses no mortar or fastenings and adapts to the uneven ground by virtue of its weight. Any further shifts in the seating level can be accommodated by a couple of knocks with a sledgehammer.

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