Step by step

The making of Raw-Edges’ concrete urban seating project

Commissioned by Greenwich Peninsula in association with Now Gallery, designers Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay of Raw-Edges have created a space for the public to unwind among the metropolis of the Greenwich Peninsula in London. Eschewing their usual vibrant aesthetic, the duo used only two colourways for ‘Steps’ – white and green – resulting in a pared-back that blends right in with both North Greenwich’s greenery and ultramodern array of buildings.

Working Mass Concrete on the installation, Raw-Edges reworked how people used the public area. ‘Each unit is like a scaled up domestic armchair,’ they explain, ‘when arranged together with their different heights, these “armchairs” create an urban texture that invites people to step on, climb and relax.’ Courtesy Alice Masters and Raw Edges