A rental service for mobile and foldable chairs in public space.
People need tools to adopt public spaces for their needs. Grätzlsitz is one of these tools. With the mobile and foldable concept,the right seat is always within reach. It is free of a prescribed use, fixed location and consumption like other seating possibilities. Users can read a book in a silent corner, discuss the latest news in a circle or celebrate a friend’s birthday. There are tons of conceivable opportunities and, Grätzlsitz is always flexible enough to satisfy any local Covid-19 safety rules. Grätzlsitz expands the own living room into to the urban space. It transforms unused niches and vacant areas into places of exchange and wellbeing. Grätzl is the Viennese term for neighborhoods – a Grätzl typically covers a couple of blocks and is as much a social, as a spatial concept. The goal of the project is to strengthen the community and vitalize activity in these areas. Grätzlsitz opens up new possibilities for people to use and shape public space for their own ideas and needs.
Implementation:
The rental service includes 30 folding chairs. In terms of sustainability, various second-hand seats are used and repainted in eye-catching colors to make the public space more bright and lively. A branding of Liebling Haus is envisaged. In purchasing, the focus lies on space-saving chairs for storage, light and easy to handle. The closed dimensions for one item are about 8cm x 50cm and 1m high. The required storage space is in total 1,3 m2.
The Markgraf-Rüdiger-Straße behind the Stadthalle is planned as a rental location. The chairs can be borrowed for free and with no time limit from collaborating shops and businesses along the street. A small amount of money or an ID as a deposit guarantees the return. Grätzlsitz can be implemented permanently in this street. As a kick-off event for the project, the jury could discuss the competition’s topic on the chair publicly.
Since this April Grätzlsitz has been running as a pilot phase for the summer with 6 chairs at Elisabethplatz in the 4th district of Vienna. The knowledge from the pilot phase is incorporated into this project. This competition would be a unique opportunity to develop the project further, make it known to a broader international public and expand it to new locations.
Officially I submit the project as an individual, but I draw on a large network and helpers for the implementation. I have sufficient time resources to prepare and realize the project.
