Few objects are as ubiquitous in the New York City landscape as the humble pushcart. Whether to ferry packages up a skyscraper or transport a piece of artwork down the block, the assistive devices have come to represent the number of goods that flow in and out of the city on a daily basis.
It was also the source of inspiration behind a new versatile furniture series designed by interdisciplinary design studio Lim + Lu for Cornell University’s downtown Manhattan College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.
With the assistance of the school’s own students, lead designer Vincent Lim—a graduate of the school—created a collection of 12 pieces that each incorporate the famous hand trolley into the design. As a result, each piece is capable of transforming its function to suit the needs of the space. For example, a three-seater sofa can transform into a shelf or a coat rack when lifted into an upright position.
“Each piece is a hybrid; a modular urban element that functions as a kind of infrastructure mated to a customized artifact specific to a particular program,” explains Kent Kleinman, Dean of Cornell AAP. “Taken together, they are a microcosm of Cornell’s famous lessons in college urbanism.”
Find out more over at Cornell’s AAP Blog.
