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Take A Seat On A Share Chair
20 July 2017
After publishing the news that dribbled in yesterday, we drove over to the Presidio in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area for no better reason than to escape the confines of the bunker.
Presidio Parade Ground. Blue sky, green grass, red Share Chairs.
The sun shone, the bay rippled, the weather was warm. We got out of the car near the parade grounds to investigate a scattering of large red plastic rockers.
Your tax dollars at work, friend.
Apparently visitors have been, for some time, miffed that the large welcoming lawn was devoid of seating. So the Presidio Trust leaped into action, commissioning Gehl, an urban design firm, to come up with the red loungers, known as Share Chairs.
The Trust explains:
In developing the Presidio Share Chairs, we wanted to create a piece of furniture for the Main Post that's comfortable, welcoming and encourages people to come to the Presidio and enjoy their visit. We also wanted the piece to promote social interaction and be sturdy yet light enough that it can be moved around by the users. The Share Chair's three main sitting positions support different uses and needs, making it easy and fun to linger on the Main Post's lawn. When developing the Presidio Share Chairs we also looked to other parks for inspiration.
They're big, they're comfortable and, unlike the parking (which squeezes you for $1.20 to $1.80 an hour or $7 to $8.50 a day), they're free.
How big are they? We investigated. Each chair is 2 feet long by 44 inches wide by 37 inches high and made from a linear low-density polyethylene, also known as #4 plastic. They're made in California, of all places.
Yes, you can flip them over.
You can make them into a beach chair, a regular chair, a lounger, a hammock and even a table. And they protect the lawn from damage. Somehow.
Share Chairs. In action, well, in a manner of speaking.
Just looking at them was respite enough for us. We got back in the car and returned to the office happy the Trust had found a way to update the parade ground to something more suited to our modern way of life.
Sitting, in a word.