December 2014

This project kicked off with a Design Charrette hosted by Architecture for Humanity New York and New York Cares. The brief was deceptively challenging; to design a bench that, once prototyped and presented in a design manual, could be built by volunteers using off the shelf materials.

After much discussion, design and re-design the result is a simple yet elegant 6’ x 2’ wooden bench comprised of a simple frame using 4x4 pieces of pressure treated lumber and a combination of 2x1 and 2x2 pieces which make up the seat. The structure is allowed to maintain simplicity and elegance by using hidden dowel connections between the horizontal and vertical elements. The structural frame is braced by the perpendicular elements of the seat nailed into the frame. This array of smaller members perform structurally and functionally as well as offering a play of pattern, light and shade, solid and void.