'Re-connect' Bench

2020 brought yet another important aspect into the world of design which must be taken into account by designers, especially when planning public spaces. Namely, the design should also prevent users from spreading the virus as much as possible.

Our project started in a standard way, with brainstorming, thought mapping and mood boards to help us analyze design problems. We came to the conclusion that our piece of furniture should encourage strangers to interact with each other while preventing them from approaching and sitting next to each other and imposing a direction of movement so as not to leave too much to pure chance. We wanted to design not only the object itself, but also the way to use it, which will be clear and intuitive for the user. 

After analyzing the typical features of the public space of the city in which we decided to design, we decided that our object will be an interesting sculptural monument which will help to diversify the urban landscape of Warsaw. We chose a specific place where our project will be located, but we tried to create a universal piece of furniture to suit different sceneries. Our choice was the park in Warsaw named Przy Bażantarni which is situated in the district of Ursynów. We noticed that the contrast between beautifully maintained greenery and the lack of architectural order was well visible in this location. We thought that our project could contribute to this place and serve as a dominant feature in the otherwise monotonous space. 

Once we selected the venue, we started to think about the most important aspect, namely the safe distance between users. We thought that the layout of our object should be based on a circle, so that all users keep the same distance from each other. However, the distance could not be more than 3 meters because we noticed that given a bigger distance, communication with another person becomes very uncomfortable, especially with a stranger. 

An additional idea was to place blinds between people to reduce the minimum distance of 2 meters while maintaining a safe user zone. The question then arose as to whether the use of the screens would not adversely affect human interaction. We came to the conclusion that the project was about connecting people and no barriers were helpful in this respect. Hence, we decided to abandon the idea with the screens and focus on positioning the seats in a circle. 

It was not a problem for a three seat bench as it will allow for equal 2 m distances between individual users.  However, it was not possible for a 5 seat bench, and with an equal distance of 2 meters between neighboring seats the distance between those facing each other was almost 6 m, which we considered simply too big. Moreover, such a solution did not allow for an optimum use of space as it would create too much of unused space inside.

We have solved this problem by using the arrangement of five seats with the basis shaped like the letter S, consisting of two zones based on a centric arrangement of a 3-person bench. We then abandoned the integration of 5 people at a time, splitting them into groups of 2 and 3 people.  We have noticed that such a procedure stimulates interaction between strangers, because being in too large a group of strangers can affect self-confidence and discourage people from starting a conversation, especially in the COVID-19 dynamics of pandemic isolation where the socializing skills are on the decrease in the society. 

We have developed the geometry of seat positions for both variants. The 3-person bench is based on a circle plan with an equilateral triangle inscribed in it. The vertices of the triangle mark the places tangential to the seat. In the case of a 5-person bench, we used the same grid, which, when duplicated, allows to create a plan based on the letter S. Then we designed seats with overall dimensions of 500 mm x 500 mm and a height of 450 mm. This is an optimum size which is comfortable for every user. The seats consist of concrete "cubes", whose lower edge has been set on a circle, so that the user has a pre-defined direction of sitting on the inside which stimulates social interaction with other users.  We used concrete screws to install wooden planks on top of the cubes as wood proves to be a more comfortable seat than concrete. Another important element of the bench is the joints between the seats, which provide a safe distance for users, preventing them from sitting next to each other and imposing the direction of movement. Our solution is to connect the seats with bent wood.  

Each board is arranged in a different form, which prevents users from sitting on it and, at the same time, creates an interesting sculpture. By means of trying different solutions, we came to the conclusion that a seat with five 80 mm wide boards looks best when two of the boards, i.e. the outer and the middle ones, reach out of the seat and are connected to the other boards on the adjacent site. 

When designing the shape of the connections we found our inspiration in the sound waves created when recording individual words on a voice recorder in our mobile phones. We used the words “safety”, “wellness” and “support” for the three seat bench. The number of syllables of these words is equal to the number of joints in the three-person bench which is two. A five seat bench has four connections, so it requires four syllable words, and our choice here was as follows: “integration”, “socializing” and “reconnection”. These are the words that describe the aspects of social life that are of a particular importance during a pandemic. We have simplified the sound waves from the recorded words and transferred them to our bench model. 

It provoked yet another question, namely, the question as to whether the wood bent in that way will be resilient to prevent any breaking or cracking. In order to eliminate this problem, we have used bent glued laminated wood (GL30H) technology reinforced with carbon fiber composite tape (CFRP) so that the structure can bear its own weight. However, if someone decided to climb on the waves, the structure might not be able to withstand. The project idea does not allow for such an incident but in reality things can go wrong. After all, we left the waves floating because it is a conceptual design and we assumed that the user would not try to destroy the object by force. However, if the project were to come into being, the waves would be located in such a way that they touch the ground in several places in order to create some additional points of support points for the structure and give it more resistance to excessive loads. 

Another issue of significance for the project is the need to disinfect the bench, which is why we have coated all wooden elements with a lacquer coating to reduce wood porosity  and make it easier to disinfect it and protect the material from damage that could otherwise be caused by the most popular type of disinfectant, i.e. the one based on alcohol. Users can therefore disinfect the structure elements without any fear before using the bench seat. 

Our intention was to create a timeless project that would also be interesting when the pandemic is over. Thanks to the message conveyed by incorporating the hidden words in our design, the bench structure stands for a kind of monument to commemorate the realities of the current pandemic.