Reused Materials Urban sitting

Reused Materials Urban Seating

Wanting to revive the main entrance of the Zen Buddhism center with something under a budget that would reflect its culture of simplicity and inclusion, I agreed on creating a small seating area for the public that was made with second hand materials sourced within 100 miles from the project site.

The quirky brick floor squares on either side of the door path made for the perfect guide on placement and size although I preferred to create a semi-flexible design, not too light on the materiality but ultimately able to be reconfigured as needed. The client asked to keep the painted wood, built-in sign for class advertisement at the planters’ edge and this inspired the austere wood design of just 2 planks. The color selection and built in planters with mainly Bird of Paradise, an adaptive plant species to the local L.A. weather, were both nods to the still ponds found in Japanese gardens and the latter gives some privacy between seats when grown. The modern overall style accompanies the neighborhood’s modernist architecture and welcomes both practitioners waiting for class and anyone passing by that might welcome a break.

Photography by Jessica Alexander