A Study on the Development of Design Modular Bench Suitable for Multilateral Street Environments

(Background and Purpose) Regarding the broad-range installation and improvement of the public benches located in the jurisdiction of Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, we sought measures to install reasonable and practical design benches by taking steps forward from following monotonous design traditions, based on the understanding of multilateral environment of bus stops located on main roads and side streets. Therefore, we supervised ‘the development of design modular benches appropriate for multilateral street environment’ in order to expand installation of benches, thereby improving residents’ convenience and urban aesthetic appeal. (Method) The development direction of design modular bench was set as follows. First, as benches are public facilities with which users mostly come in contact, validity from an ergonomics perspective, structural stability, and convenience of maintenance were all considered at the same time. Second, through modularization of design core, consistency in design of benches located at bus stops from side streets to the roadside is secured in order to improve the aesthetic appeal of urban street environment, particularly with respect to the installation of benches being delayed due to topographical reasons. Third, by securing open possibilities of long-term design applications, we suggested a basic modular bench type that can adopt color expression suitable for a specific region or unrestricted application of modular patterns when being installed at other regions. (Results) As this design result, a modular design appropriate for installing and applying in multilateral street environments including main roads, and possibly side streets in the future, was developed in which the corners that come in contact with human body are rounded for safety, and the bench height was designed to be 40 – 41 cm for versatility. Furthermore, the side of benches was designed in a diagonal shape with its width decreasing downward to reduce the dullness of the design, and the same diagonal pattern was applied to the seating surface for consistency. From the front perspective, thin steel plates were used for left and right frames to create a simple and open impression around the legs. Dark gray was used as a dominant color and neutral color was applied to the seating surface to minimize visual stimulation and blend in with the surrounding environment. High-density wood panels were used for durability and maintenance convenience to maintain the quality over the long term without cracks or discoloration. (Conclusions) The design of modular bench for multilateral street environment has been registered at the Korean Intellectual Property Office. Since the installation of public benches are the responsibility of government offices, registering the procurement of mass-produced products on Korea ON-Line E-Procurement System should be promoted in order for the modular benches developed in this study to be installed and applied in other autonomous districts.