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Site Design and Engineering Help Bring Paul Cocksedge Studio’s Public Art Installation to Raleigh
The North Carolina Museum of Art Park has welcomed Please Be Seated, a site-specific public art installation by Paul Cocksedge Studio, based in London.
WithersRavenel supported the project through site design and engineering services for REdesign.build, the general contractor responsible for fabricating and installing the piece. WithersRavenel’s scope included landscape architecture, civil engineering with fine grading design, ADA pathway design, construction staking, and 3D model coordination.
After visiting the Museum Park, Paul Cocksedge Studio designed a version of the studio’s earlier Please Be Seated projects specifically for the NCMA landscape. Following the changing topography of the park, the undulating bench forms two sweeping arcs that flow down the hill, creating both a physical and visual connection between the upper areas of the Museum Park, the Museum buildings, and Bryan Theater.
According to Paul Cocksedge Studio, the original Please Be Seated was created as a temporary installation for the London Design Festival using recycled scaffolding boards. Designed as a series of rings with rippling waves of arches, the piece created spaces for people to pass through, pause, sit, and relax. Cocksedge described the work as “an instinctive response to the space and the rhythm of people through it.”
Since its debut in London, Please Be Seated has traveled to several cities in China, including Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing. Permanent editions of the work have also been installed in Hong Kong and Beijing. The Raleigh installation brings that same spirit of movement, gathering, and public interaction to one of North Carolina’s most beloved cultural landscapes.
Because the installation responds directly to the site’s topography, precision was essential. WithersRavenel designed the pathways to support ADA access and developed the grading plans for each concrete pedestal, each with a specific location and height. This work required close coordination with the local fabricators producing the structure in their shop before assembling it on site.
The collaboration included routine exchanges of 3D model files between the design, fabrication, and engineering teams. By aligning the sculpture, pedestal locations, pathway design, and site grades before construction, the project team helped ensure the installation fit as intended once it was assembled in the field.
Please Be Seated is a reminder that memorable public spaces rely on both creative vision and technical execution. Behind the visitor experience is careful grading, accessible circulation, construction layout, and coordination among artists, designers, engineers, fabricators, and contractors.
For WithersRavenel, the project reflects the value of multidisciplinary collaboration in public spaces, where landscape architecture, civil engineering, and construction staking help transform an artistic concept into a lasting experience for the community.
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