Cologne 2013: industrial designer Konstantin Grcic has created a bench system based on the iconic Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe (+ movie).

The B Bench features the distinctive crossing legs of the 1929 original but is reinterpreted as a flexible, modular system.

"I think it's interesting to make these references in design. Design is not about inventing new things all the time - design is an evolution of things," says Konstantin Grcic. "So this famous chair designed by Mies van der Rohe: we pick it up now so many years later and make it in a completely different way in terms of technology but also turning it into a more systematic product."

His bench can be any length from a one-seater chair up to a six-metre bench, with or without armrests. It can be upholstered or left as bare aluminium and is suitable for use indoors or outdoors. "We have created a kit of parts which can be changed into very different typologies," adds Grcic.

The B Bench will be presented by Spanish brand BD Barcelona Design at trade fair imm cologne in Germany next week.

Based in Munich, Grcic has also designed a series of tables with extruded aluminium tops for the brand, first shown in 2009, and he more recently created aluminium and pine furniture for Herzog & de Meuron's Parrish Art Museum. See all our stories about design by Konstantin Grcic.

BD Barcelona Design was the first design brand in Spain and recently celebrated its 40th birthday by commissioning designer Jaime Hayon to hand-paint 40 unique vases. It has also worked with contemporary designers including Doshi Levien and NHDRO. See all our stories about products from BD Barcelona Design.

Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair was designed for his famous Barcelona Pavilion, which is currently hosting an exhibition of junk from its own basement.