Social Architectures Spring 2007

Project Proposal and Budget

 

Mobile Bench Project Proposal

http://socialarchitectures.pbwiki.com/Bench%20Project

 

Group Members

*Morgan Chee mchee@ucsd.edu

*Marjory Loh marjoryloh@gmail.com

*Sarah McClelland missarah619@gmail.com

*Anne Chan a8chan@ucsd.edu

*Sasha Moldavsky smoldavs@ucsd.edu

*Derek Lomas (Advisor) dereklomas@gmail.com

 

Conceptual Positioning

 

As passionate UCSD undergraduate students who hope to spark positive changes on this campus, we wish to implement an installation of mobile benches around the campus this quarter. The motivation is to create a more social atmosphere for the students and faculty members at UCSD. The project grew out of an awareness of the inadequacy of public seating and places to sit socialize and interact with each other. We hope our ambitious endeavor will change the (anti-)social climate on this campus, and to empower future students to do the same.

 

Proposed Project

 

The plan is to implement a total of six 8feet-long benches that are too bulky to be stolen, yet

easy enough for anyone to move to a location close by. These six mobile benches will consist of three different forms: two with built-in speakers and an IPOD dock attachment each, two with an affixed box each, filled with paint and sharpies and two 'control' benches, and will be placed around areas of high human traffic that lack public seating on campus. As these benches are going to be 8feet long each, they also invite different groups of people to sit together, while maintaining a certain distance because of the boxes containing the speakers/sharpies in the middle. The benches are painted in either white or checkered patterns.

 

*IPOD Dock Benches: Music lovers will be able to share their music by attaching their IPOD into bench’s built-in dock.

 

*Public Art Benches: Artists will be able to express themselves on public spaces, giving them a sense of ownership in their surroundings.

 

*‘Control Benches’: These ‘control’ benches, are the prototype model of the entire project, and will serve to monitor the choice students/faculty make in regards to their seating preferences.

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First Prototype Model  5/10/07

 

 

 

Scale Design for Second Prototype Model

 

<--- Side View

 

The above drawing depicts the same bench style with different measurements. The second prototype would be 16"x16"x8'.

 

 

          5/15/07 Beta Model 16"x16"x8' - Without the side plywoods, the bench is alot easier to carry and move about.

 

       5/15/07 Models posing/testing out Beta Model.

 

 

Social Design Strategy____

 

By doing so, we not only temporarily relieve the lack of seating situation, we are also able to study how students and faculty alike gather and interact in a shared space within a musical environment or in a space for them to showcase their artistic expressions. Through this project, we will also study how the colors of these benches affect the appeal of our subjects of study.

Instead of people walking around campus with earphones and listening to their own music, the IPOD bench installation will create a forum for people to share their personal music with others (via speakers in the bench). Anyone can plug in their IPOD into the speaker benches to share their favorite songs with the general public, which might spark interesting conversations between strangers, mini dance parties amongst friends, or even people singing in public. The Public Art benches with attached sharpies will serve to understand the variation of graffiti within different campus spaces. This project intends to create a socially active bench that serves to induce conversation, written and vocal.

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Spaces to place achitectural intervention__

Since the benches are mobile, during the duration of intervention, we would like to place them at Sun God Lawn (except on Sun God celebration), Warren Mall, Eucalyptus grove above library walk, the areas between student health and Library walk, the Eucalyptus grove between P.C and Warren Mall (where Bear Garden is held), the open outdoor space on Third floor of Geisel, at the Mesa, Nobel/Arriba and campus loop shuttle stops, and on Rimac walk and Marshall field.

 

Description of equipment and supplies Cost

90 8 ft-2x4’s ($2.26 each) $203.40

2 Plywood 4ftX8ft ($22.77 each) $45.54

48 Rigid tie corners ($2.39 each) $114.72

1 (5lbs) box 1½” screws $18.84

1 (5lbs) box 3”screws $19.93

1 gallon White Ext. Paint $20.98

½ gallon Black Ext. Paint $13.50

2 set speakers $40.00

Broadcast your Podcast Device $30.00

PROJECT TOTAL $506.91

 

 

 

Schedule of Actions for Intervention and Observation Studies

 

Week 6

-Purchase various materials as stated in budget list, Cut wood, Assemble Benches, Paint the benches.

-Document space prior to installations

 

Week 7

-Install interventions, Document space with intervention

Observe social movement, interaction with intervention and document closely on our website until till Week 9.

 

Week 9

-Remove intervention, study the results we have gained from the social experiment, and come up with a concluded study

to prove the effectiveness of the interactive benches and how colors can affect the usage of these benches.

 

Week 10

-Presentation of concluded studies and observations to the general public.

 

 

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Meetings (UPDATE PLEASE )

 

 

 

Anne: M afternoon. T after 6pm, W before 2pm, Fri-Sun free

 

old schedule

Sasha Moldavsky M after 12pm, T and W after 5pm, F after 1pm, Sat and Sun free

 

As you can see it will be hard to find a time, we may have to work on weekends, keep this in mind.

 

Drafts

benches