News + Trends
More beautiful, smarter, more accessible: design that inspires everyone
by Pia Seidel
Unconventional park benches? Zurich shows how design brings us together
6.11.2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Pia Seidel
During the Design Biennale 2025, the Old Botanical Garden in Zurich was transformed into a place where design could be experienced. Under the motto "Side by Side", the focus was on encounters, dialogue and interaction - and right in the middle of it all: park benches that offer far more than just a break.
From sound art and modular systems to sustainable materials - the projects at this year's Design Biennale surprised visitors with ideas that are not only functional, but also poetic and playful. Three installations stood out in particular and show how design creates connections and thinks about the future at the same time.
Sound art that touches: «Parasit»
A park bench that makes music: the installation «Parasit» transforms sitting into a multi-sensory experience. Touch creates sound - thanks to conductive aluminium and hidden electronics. Magnetic fields cause nearby metal plates to vibrate and create an acoustic landscape that only becomes audible when several people interact.
A trip around the world on the meadow: «Stool around the World»
The idea began in Addis Ababa in 2010 with a prototype made from recycled wood. An online configurator made it possible to reproduce the stool worldwide in various materials and dimensions - from Singapore to Barcelona. The new series has been specially developed for outdoor use and proves that sustainable design can be global and local at the same time: Sustainable design can be global and local at the same time.
Flexible to infinity: «Big Modular Bench»
How long can a bench be? Guy Meldem sets no limits. His «modular bench» made from recycled concrete and wooden planks can be customised - for one person, two or a whole group. The modules can be extended endlessly and create space for closeness and encounters.
Inspired by design icons such as Enzo Mari and the Eames, Meldem combines functionality with sculptural appeal. His designs, made from simple, recycled materials, show that furniture for public spaces can be practical as well as inspiring and sustainable.
A design festival that connects
The Design Biennale 2025 in Zurich has proven that furniture tells stories, brings people together and shows us how conscious design can make the world a little bit better. Perhaps this is the true art: furniture that enriches our everyday lives and invites us to rethink them.
Header image: Pia Seidel
Pia Seidel
Senior Editor
Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.chLike a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.
News + Trends
From the latest iPhone to the return of 80s fashion. The editorial team will help you make sense of it all.
Show all
