The northern belt of New Vennep in the Netherlands is characterized by gently rolling green hills with beautiful views across the Hoofddorp and Schiphol polders. In this beautiful setting, designer Buro Poppinga has installed ten Binocular benches, all facing this landscape. Their closed configuration provides intimate shelter from the wind and the inclement weather for users who can sit in different positions, individually, in pairs or in small groups. In clear reference to binoculars, these benches all face the same direction, framing the views and generating the visual effect of a battery of white concrete lookouts in the green landscape.
The benches are raised slightly on metal structural props that disappear at a distance, making these rounded volumes seem to levitate in the landscape.
Spherical glass beads are encrusted in the pre-cast stone mass, generating a dual effect: a brilliant shimmer reflecting the low light on the horizon at sunset, and at night, an unusual volume that reflects car headlights as they drive into the residential area, metamorphosing into huge eyes of animals crouched in the dark.
