Reconfigurable Park Benches.
Designing public furniture for flexible programming, operational efficiency and architectural integrity.
Client: Center City District Philadelphia
Industry: Public Spaces & Government
Services: Product & Service Design, Sourcing and Manufacturing
Design Brief.
Center City District (CCD) is a private and public partnership dedicated to managing and improving the quality of life of Center City Philadelphia’s parks and public places. Limitations of the original furniture design at the park continued to challenge programming efforts at Dilworth Plaza, so FutureTogether was called upon to create new benches that could be easily moved and stored when needed without altering the overall aesthetic of the park.
Outcome.
In collaboration with CCD, we recreated Dilworth Plaza’s original stone benches in an alternate material—building them in sections for easy transportation and storage. The final design was fashioned in a durable solid surface material that matches the stone of the original benches. The design was so effective that no one noticed that the benches had been removed and replaced.
Social Impact.
The new modular benches enabled CCD to expand their programming for the community in the park without any physical limitations. Every year, thousands of citizens interact with the new benches—proof that design directly supports the programming efforts that enrich the lives of children, families and center city’s workforce.
Environmental Impact.
The solid surface material that the benches are made from has a decades-long life span and can be serviced with ease. Each section of bench is built like an airplane wing—with internal ribs made from upcycled solid surface scrap—and was made with power washing and everyday maintenance in mind. To preserve the integrity of the materials for as long as possible, we brought in the bench fabricators to train the CCD staff on how to facilitate minor repairs autonomously.
Designed For Operations.
Given the high-traffic nature of the park and the extreme conditions the benches endure, we knew the new installments had to be durable and operationally efficient. Our solve? The benches were recreated in sections to make them more portable, with each section boasting hidden built-in handles. We introduced levelers to adapt to the uneven park floor and a labeling system to better guide the assembly process. Everything from the size of each bench section to the concealed hex key wrench tool for set-up and tear down was conceived around the needs of the crews handling the benches.
Invisible, Impactful Design.
Working hand-in-hand with CCD to meet their and their community’s needs, we employed our material knowledge and extensive domestic manufacturing to craft a product that is beautiful, perfectly functional, and so seamless that it is practically invisible.
Links & Press.