Intelligent & Interactive: Designer Street Furniture by Mathieu Lehanneur

  JCDecaux has always been at the forefront of innovation and has been collaborating with great architects and designers to develop the most innovative furniture for cities across the world. Parisian Mathieu Lehanneur is regarded by many as one of the world’s leading product, interior and industrial designers. His work focuses on nature, science, technology and human psychology, shedding new light on aspects of modern life. Some of Lehanneur’s socially-conscious pieces include the intelligent street furniture created with JCDecaux in response to a call for projects launched by the Paris City authorities. The innovative concepts represent the company’s vision for digital services in the urban environment. The aim is to make Paris easier to navigate and more accessible for the public. JCDecaux designed its offering around 5 major themes: discovering, getting information, sharing, working, and playing.

The Digital Harbour

As his first urban development project, the Digital Harbour is as beautiful as it is functional. Benefitting from free high-speed WI-FI connection, this harbour features durable swivel chairs made from concrete, with mini tables connected to the chairs - perfect for using a smartphone, tablet, laptop or book. A  touch screen on the side of the installation provides city information and news for those without any devices. Vertical logs are used to support the structure, with a rooftop covered in living green foliage.  

The Play Table

Another intersection of great design and technology is The Play Table, an interactive playground designed for a modern age, created specifically for public spaces such as parks and gardens. Installed in the Square du Temple, Paris the Play Table comprises of two multi-touch screens that are tilted for optimum visibility and can be rotated around an off-centre axis to allow users to adjust the screen. Each screen provides access to games. The table uses open-source platform, with games and apps created by a wide range of developers.   ...More great designer street furniture coming up soon!