Robust urban furniture along the shore
From the sunny coast of the USA to the exposed Norwegian coastline. Being close to the sea and water gives a feeling of calm and relaxation and is a popular place to meet up. Vestre is proud to have delivered furniture that requires minimal maintenance – and can withstand all types of wind and weather – to everywhere from seafronts in California to exposed places along the Norwegian coast.
Relaxing zones with an ocean view in Oakland
Jack London Square is a popular destination along the shoreline in Oakland in California. Furniture from Vestre is used to create social zones where people can enjoy the sun, a sea view and just being with friends and family. With the main feature of BLOC sun benches all along the seafront, it is not difficult to find a good place to sit and relax in the fine weather.
The BLOC benches are also a popular meeting place.
All of the furniture along the seafront overlooks the sea. Here, BLOC tables and benches are also used, which function as a great lunch spot in the sun.
BLOC bench and table with a sea view.
Coffee with a view
Another popular meeting place along the shoreline is Aker Brygge in Oslo. In this busy city area, you can find shops, museums and offices. There are lots of restaurants and outdoor cafés all along the shore; however, many choose to have their coffee a little closer to the Oslo fjord. Here, the BLOC series is combined with furniture from the APRIL series.
BLOC benches along Aker Brygge. A popular meeting place for both tourists and locals.
APRIL bar table and seats at Aker Brygge in Oslo: Enjoy a coffee and the view across The Oslofjord.
Raging storms along the shore
In Norway, the weather can be very harsh along the coast. We saw this very clearly in 2008, when storm Sondre raged throughout the country. Heavy waves surged inland and a lot of Vestre furniture was severely tested when it was exposed to both strong winds and repeated soaking with salt water. With hot-dip galvanized steel and a lifetime guarantee against rust, neither rough weather nor hard use is a challenge to Vestre furniture.
Photo credit: Fridgeir Walderhaug.
All steel components from Vestre are hot-dip galvanized in a zinc bath at a temperature of around 450°C. The zinc bath is of course heated using renewable energy exclusively. The process forms a corrosion-protective alloy (80–120) which means the product can remain outdoors for several decades. Hot-dip galvanized steel will ‘heal’ itself if the surface is damaged - the zinc contracts and forms a new alloy over the damaged area. If the steel is also powder coated after hot-dipping (Duplex system), it will have an even longer lifetime. The powder coat protects the zinc alloy.
This process has been developed in Norway to provide a high-quality finish to comply with the strict standards in corrosion class C5-M (ISO 12944). This is the same surface treatment used on offshore installations – something that makes them extremely resistant to moisture and salt. And perfect for use along the shoreline in all kinds of weather conditions.
APRIL GO – a heavyweight with a light expression
The fact that our furniture can withstand a great deal of wind and weather, has been confirmed based on tests conducted by SINTEF – one of the largest research institutes in Europe. Here we put our APRIL GO seats to the test. The seats have a very light expression; however, this is not at the expense of quality and robustness. In fact, wind tests at SINTEF showed that it required wind gusts of up to 16-17 m/s before the furniture began to move. This can be key - particularly on roof terraces or in exposed places along the coast.
Photo credit: Anna Utkilen.
Furniture for all kinds of weather
Whether you require furniture for a sunny beach promenade or more weather-exposed picnic spots along the coast, you can find it at Vestre. Our Flickr profile has inspirational ideas for more caring meeting places along the shoreline.
