Please Be Seated Accoya public artwork

The second phase with sustainable timber

Please Be Seated is a uniquely designed public artwork by London based designers, Paul Cocksedge Studio. The design allows locals and passers-by to stop and watch the world go by whether sat or even lying down. The structure was designed with locations in mind, not wanting to obstruct the busy shopping centres or detract from the surrounding architecture.

The artwork was first designed and placed in London using reclaimed scaffolding boards. The second Chinese version of the artwork, however, used Accoya Wood. The structure was fabricated in partnership with UAP and the Accoya was sourced and supplied by local Accoya approved distributor, Jiangsu Dragon Wood (JDW). Paul Cocksedge Studio worked with JDW to complete and install, managing the entire process remotely as a result of Covid restrictions.

The artwork is made from 1,440 planks of sustainably sourced, high-performance Accoya timber. A key benefit of Accoya that made it the material of choice is the Cradle to Cradle Gold Certification. This recognises that Accoya is fully circular, with no added synthetic materials, fully recyclable and non-toxic. The Accoya planks are supported by a framework of bent steel designed to be easily assembled and disassembled for travelling.

Please Be Seated made its debut in China in 2020, in partnership with Swire Properties. The installation was relocated across numerous locations in China, starting at the Temple Plaza of Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li in Chengdu, before travelling to Guangzhou, Shanghai, and finally Beijing in 2021 where the public artwork is permanently residing.