The design that beat nearly 700 competitors from 15 countries to become the signature chair of Manhattan’s two-acre Battery Oval lawn is now available from Maglin Site Furniture in Woodstock, Ontario. With the launch of The Battery Collection—exclusive to Maglin—landscape architects and designers can access a colourful design that brings personality and charm into any space.
“The Battery Conservancy is known for design excellence,” notes Warrie Price, founder and president of The Battery Conservancy as well as New York City’s Battery administrator and New York State’s Harbor Park director. “This award-winning design helps us build the brand for The Battery, and of course, we have Maglin as the manufacturer, known for extraordinarily well-designed and well-constructed furnishings.”
Among others, the high-profile jury included Paola Antonelli, senior curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art, and Rob Forbes, the founder of Design Within Reach.
Comfort is also key to the collection and was a primary concern for The Battery Chair’s designer, Andrew Jones of Toronto, who faced competition from more than 1,500 designers. “There are so many uncomfortable chairs in public seating; you never find a super-comfortable chair to just hang out in in a public park,” he explains. “That comfort was high on my list.”
Maglin is a leading North American manufacturer of public site furniture. Through outstanding design and innovative use of recycled materials, Maglin creates high quality solutions that enhance the aesthetics and functionality of all environments. Maglin manufactures benches, trash containers, bollards, bike racks, ash receptacles, cluster seating, planters, recycle units and signage.
Ian McAskile, president and founder of Maglin, notes that this exclusive line “offers something truly different in site furniture. The Battery Collection is not only a new line for Maglin, it’s also a fresh new approach to thinking about the ways that colour and ornamental aspects can bring a touch of playfulness to the whole industry.”
Completing the trifecta alongside comfort and style is practicality: the entire collection—which includes the iconic lounge-style chair used in The Battery, as well as dining and lounge tables, all available in a variety of colours—is made of recyclable mild steel and stainless steel. The chairs are sturdy enough to withstand the winds off the New York Harbor, yet they’re easily stacked and moved in groups of four.
Citing a goal of “aesthetic literacy,” Price describes the collection as an opportunity to raise the bar for public spaces. “For Maglin and ourselves,” she explains, “the focus was on bringing great design to the public to use freely and openly in a public park—and the fact that now it is offered to others is thrilling. It belongs in terraces, balconies, backyards, front yards, sunrooms, and offices.”