Architectural Elements (AE) and Western Washington University Industrial Design (WWU ID) teamed up to create new designs for outdoor spaces. Fabricating the designs in-house, the designs were taken from concepts to manufacturing: 3 month timeline.

S Bench received 2nd place in the Architectural Elements design scholarship competition and was recently specified for a new building development in Bellevue.

The findings from research interviews pointed towards meeting the need for different sized seating solutions, in particular, the ever-growing popularity of "pocket parks".

Working with designers and engineers for Architectural Elements, the form was developed for manufacturing. The cut plan makes the most of material, with minimum waste material.

Shown is a 1/3 scale model of the design, demonstrating the appearance of multiple benches in a row. These models were made out of sheet-aluminum, cut using a water-jet and finished with a powder-coat paint.

The design was presented to a panel of judges and ranked based on innovative form, manufacturing, and potential for sales.

S Bench was manufactured and powder coated by Architectural Elements.

The bench design was published in the February 2016 issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM).

In the fall of 2015, five S Benches were installed in Barkley Village in Bellingham, Washington. They are now available to purchase through the Architectural Elements outdoor furniture catalog.