Landscape Forms has expanded its Parallel 42 modular seating system with new terraced seating and planter modules, broadening the line’s potential to define, activate and enliven outdoor environments. Designed as complementary building blocks, the new modules add vertical dimension, greenery and fresh opportunities for social interaction to the flexible system.
The new planter modules are designed to integrate seamlessly with both existing and new Parallel 42 components, or to function independently as biophilic space-defining elements. Designers can use them to punctuate large open areas with greenery, outline gathering points or establish semi-private alcoves that feel welcoming and restorative. By combining planters with other modules, landscapes can transform into “rooms” defined as much by planting as by form, bringing living texture into the heart of public space.
Equally transformative are the terraced bench modules, offered in 30-degree left-hand, right-hand and wedge configurations. These additions create stepped surfaces that support a wide range of postures and activities, from perching and leaning to lounging with a laptop or stretching out and putting your feet up. Also compatible with the system’s existing modules, the terraced benches expand its vocabulary while maintaining the approachable simplicity Parallel 42 is known for.
“The new additions to Parallel 42 exponentially ramp up the line’s possible configurations,” says Ryan Heiser, Director of Design at Landscape Forms. “Combining the planters with the new terraced bench modules, you open up a whole new world of possibilities to define and activate outdoor space — use them to break up space, frame and enliven space, create social pinch points, form outdoor ‘rooms’ with green walls, and that’s just the beginning.”
Beyond form, the expansion also advances functionality. Any seating module — new or existing — can be fitted with a Power and Illumination Kit, integrating USB charging, standard 120V power and warm LED lighting to support day-to-night usability. And with the addition of Kebony® Dually Modified™ Wood as a material option, the system combines long-term durability with new and innovative sustainable materiality.
Kirt Martin, Chief Innovation Officer at Landscape Forms, underscores how the expansion reflects deep engagement with the design community: “The Parallel 42 system has been extremely successful for us — there’s a lot of product out there in the field, and we’ve collected a lot of feedback from landscape architects about how they’re using it. This most recent expansion represents a coalescing of that feedback to give customers exactly what they’re requesting as part of a standard range.”
With these additions, Parallel 42 continues to grow as a toolkit for creative placemaking, offering designers new ways to shape meaningful, people-centered outdoor spaces.
Landscape Forms are a proud sponsor of World Landscape Architecture