Concrete in the Grip of the Hexagon

Climate change and frequent heat have been transforming many urban centers into uninhabitable areas in recent years. The city of the 21st century urgently needs to find the lost balance between built-up areas and green landscapes. This can only be achieved through a conceptual cultivation of urban space that places humans and nature on a similar level. What should a modern city look like? Lively, pulsating, creative, harmonious, and above all, it should be a pleasant place to live.

To create harmonious nooks in public spaces that offer pleasant places for rest and meeting in the middle of cities, it is necessary to use suitable urban furniture alongside greenery. A commitment to a cohesive system of urban furniture, in this case, facilitates work for architects who do not need to resort to completely individual and expensive solutions but can opt for design-interesting yet simpler and cheaper variants. The Czech company Presbeton focuses on the production of concrete components for private and public spaces.


Thanks to its durability, concrete is a suitable material for problematic urban zones where the elements must withstand not only harsh weather but also potential vandalism. The design-interesting and also well-regarded H-E-X system offers a comprehensive set of elements suitable for the enhancement of parks and public spaces such as streets, pedestrian zones, and squares.

The name H-E-X refers to direct inspiration from bionic examples found in the animal kingdom. Hexagonal geometry is one of the most frequently recurring natural geometric forms, found for example in basalt column structures or in the cells of beehives. The paving from this series allows for the design of a natural transition from hard surfaces to park landscaping. Additionally, solid paving can be combined with vegetation or with planters that can emerge from the surface at various heights and can be directly integrated into the assembled area. Unlike paved paths, the H-E-X system allows for cultivated nooks to be designed in a playful way. The H-E-X paving with a thickness of 80 millimeters is designed for vehicle traffic up to 3.5 tons. The system includes not only the aforementioned paving system but also benches, seats, planters, tables, bike racks, trash bins, dividing posts, and lighting. All elements are frost-resistant and treated with the Protect System TOP impregnation, which enhances the natural properties of concrete.

All elements are made of perfectly smooth gray exposed concrete. The light color prevents overheating during the summer months. The strength of the products is guaranteed by high-quality reinforced concrete. Unconventional and interesting shapes are achieved by casting into molds. For comfort, wooden slats made of impregnated spruce wood with various surface finishes are also used in the production of benches alongside concrete. The metal connecting elements used are made of durable galvanically galvanized metal.