Empty spaces next to the stairs in University at Buffalo's Hayes Hall became informal social spaces since the building’s reopening in 2016, and the School of Architecture asked for bench proposals to further accentuate these impromptu areas. Inflection reorients the power of creation from those who make it to those who use it. Through its shape in plan and a geometry capable of being transformed from seat to table, it allows the user to be the maker and construct their own social scenarios as they wish or need. It does not force a certain type of interaction or scenario, rather it responds to the already abundant impromptu gatherings and uses in those spaces and allows them to happen more efficiently.
In the team, I was the lead designer and fabricator and I generated the bench design and concept. For the competition entry, I produced the study model, renderings, and assembly diagram. I organized and lead the prototyping and the project is currently under final fabrication. The competition announcement article can be found here.
