Cooling Down Stools

Cooling Down Stools are a playful yet purposeful bench design.

Cooling Down Stools are a collection of industrial cooling tower forms on which to perch, reflect and ponder. The form is associated with energy production, whilst the name nods toward the practical use of benches by people letting off steam. The recognisable concrete cooling tower stands tall, proud and slightly inconvenient to sit on, reflecting the important historic role industrial technologies have played in development to date. The central tower, reduced in size and impact, weathered and no longer fit for purpose signals the present - a decline in industry and the realisation that the status quo can’t continue. The last tower, smaller still and rendered in pigmented plaster to connote strata, indicates phasing out, divestment and an inevitable shift towards renewable energy sources.