MAIN CHALLENGE
Designing a customizable bench system with a sculptural aesthetic.

During the architectural renovation of the museum box office and lobby, visitor seating became a hot topic of discussion. The criteria included bench seating that was available in multiple lengths, and with options for backs and arms. The benches must also be durable, comfortable, and easily movable for events-but not so easily movable for visitors. The seating must also group nicely and appear sculptural when viewed from above. 

My solution was to design a box of parts- one leg, one arm, and one seat back- that could easily be multiplied. The legs would be attached together with steel tubes and a hard surface top, which could simply change in length to achieve different size benches. The arms could be attached at any interval directly to the bench top, as could the seat backs, which also could easily change in length.

Over the years, many versions of this same design have been used throughout the museum, adjusting certain design details to align with gallery and project needs.