Studio Martins Mezulis and 13_0663_tsx Turn Dutch Traffic Barriers into 'stop!' Seating at Dutch Design Week

At Dutch Design Week, the 'stop!' collection by Studio Martins Mezulis and 13_0663_tsx transforms the red-and-white aluminum traffic barrier—known in the Netherlands as the schrikhek—into outdoor benches and stools. The standardized barriers, usually placed to mark construction zones and redirect pedestrians and cyclists, have been reconfigured to invite sitting and gathering rather than to restrict movement. The project reinterprets the high-visibility panels' visual language and material composition as functional street furniture, exploring how utilitarian safety elements can support community interaction. The collection debuts publicly during Dutch Design Week at two Eindhoven sites: Strijp-S Ketelhuisplein and Design Perron. Materials listed are road safety barriers and steel; each piece measures 450mm in height, 1250mm in length, and 500mm in width. The work was submitted through designboom's DIY submissions feature and edited by Christina Vergopoulou.