The city hall courtyard in Poznan, Poland has been many things throughout its history; from a gathering space to a parking lot, the latest incarnation of the space has seen several landscaped benches transform the area into a green oasis, a street café, a community public square, and a formal performance space.

Developed by Poland-based Atelier Starzak Strebicki, this series of street furniture consists of a large, round bench that circles the existing flower-bed, a series of mobile seats with medium-sized trees and plantlife at the rear of the structure, and a series of moveable potted trees.

These moveable pieces can be formed into an amphitheatre-like arrangement together with the new podium. The design of these elements allows users of the space to sit, recline or cascade to take in performances, gather informally and go about their daily lives.

As the world of public realm design moves towards incorporating green spaces into our urban centres, Atelier Starzak Strebicki demonstrates that these greenspaces can be easily included into our cities without the need for large scale infrastructure works.

Images © Mateusz Bieniaszczyk and Atelier Starzak Strebicki