Imperial Benches

We’re delighted to share our latest collaboration: Beit Quadrangle, a landscape project for Imperial College London developed together with J&L Gibbons.

Tucked into the heart of the university’s Grade II listed, South Kensington campus, Beit Quadrangle marks the first phase of “Rooted in Horticulture” — an initiative reconnecting Imperial with its 19th-century horticultural heritage, while tackling climate adaptation, biodiversity and sustainable resource management head-on.

[Delivered 2024/2025]

The landscape design utilises repurposed materials across the 0.06 hectare quadrangle to improve porosity, biodiversity and everyday functionality, with ten new trees proposed for the space. We were invited to contribute the furniture, crafting pieces designed to sit quietly within the planting and hold their own against the London weather, built using the same principles of longevity and honest materials that run through everything we make.

The campus’s roots run deep: England’s first plant nursery once covered much of this ground, and in 1861 the Royal Horticultural Society, backed by Prince Albert, planted its most significant garden to date here — transforming the area into “Albertopolis,” London’s great hub of learning and culture. Beit Courtyard itself once held one of the RHS gardens’ two bandstands where staff, students and visitors gathered to sit, listen and socialise.

That history became the starting point for the new courtyard bench. J&L Gibbons’ concept tracing the geometry of the old bandstand itself — We were brought in to develop the concept further and give it form: two curved solid timber benches made from FSC felled Douglas Fir and Oak sourced from London and Herefordshire.

For the seat profile we evolved in relation to the pith of each board, understanding how the timber will expand, contract and age beautifully over many years of use. Douglas fir was chosen for the seat in combination with Oak for the legs. The profiles and spaces between them, in particular, were carefully defined to encourage rainwater runoff, reducing moisture retention while creating a comfortable shape for sitting.

The Beit Quadrangle is the first step towards transforming the Imperial campus, part of a wider, progressive approach and action plan for the college – we relish the opportunity to have been part of a project like this, allowing us to contribute directly to the wellbeing of students while addressing larger issue of climate change and the need for greater biodiversity in our cities.

Huge thanks to J&L Gibbons for bringing us into the project and to Reimagine Works for bringing it all to life on site.

Images – Sarah Blee | J&L Gibbons

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